


Devil of the Nightclub

by EvasiveCupid



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, BAMF Chloe Decker, BAMF Linda Martin (Lucifer TV), Case Fic, Chloe Decker Finds Out, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, F/M, Hurt Chloe Decker, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, I'm Bad At Tagging, Identity Reveal, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Underage Relationship(s), It's unintentional though, Lucifer Feels, Misunderstandings, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protective Lucifer, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Harm, Slow Burn, just for a little while im sorry, no beta we die like men, sorta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:08:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24011059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvasiveCupid/pseuds/EvasiveCupid
Summary: LUX is well known night club, catering to people from all over the LA region. More secretive, however, is the man living above it, known only for his deals. When a murder occurs outside the club and Chloe Decker is brought on scene, she is haunted by the melancholy sound of piano; who is the mysterious pianist?
Relationships: Chloe Decker/Lucifer Morningstar, Minor Chloe Decker/Dan Espinoza
Comments: 60
Kudos: 137





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I was recently watching some clips from the 2004 movie version of Phantom of the Opera, my favorite musical, and I was struck by the similarities in the stories (the lot number for the chandelier being 666 really tipped me over). I was inspired to write this, pulling things from just about every season of the show. Each character is "representative" of a character from Phantom, but they're very loosely related. I beta my own work, so I apologize for any mistakes. I hope you all enjoy!

The sun blazed over the city of Los Angeles, igniting the ocean waves in orange and vermilion as they lapped against the warm sand. Gulls cawed overhead, doing their best to frighten beach-goers into leaving their lunches behind. Little crabs scuttled away into the tide, following the lapping waves back into the sea. Towels, umbrellas, and sandcastles were scattered along coast, random specks over color along a beige strip. The smell of salt hung in the air, accompanying the humidity that wrapped around the people like a warm blanket. They were joyous, the cantankerous laughter of grown-ups and children alike fluttering along the sea breeze, warring with the gulls.

Across town, deep in the heart of the city, a different mood had settled on its inhabitants. LUX stood prominent among the rest of the buildings, usually booming with music and people, now a somber, quiet tower reaching towards the heavens. The streets outside of it were bustling with busy people that had places to be, completely unaware of what was happening with the building. Inside, the nightclub stood silent, the lights turned low. Chairs were up on tables, the dance floor was barren, each television was blank. Most ominous of all, however, was the grand piano in the center of the floor. It was covered with a cloth tarp which had a fine sheen of dust settled upon it, signifying that it hadn’t been played for some time. Sitting on the bench was an empty whiskey glass, its edges tinted amber and sticky. 

The only hint of life in the club was the small group of people gathered along the bar at the head of the room.

“What do you mean the building is going to be auctioned off?” Her voice was scandalized.

Eric Cooper looked look a careful step back from the dark-haired women, unnerved by the hostility in her eyes. “The fact of the matter, Ms. Smith, is that my father’s properties now belong to me. If I don’t make these sales, I’ll have to declare bankruptcy due to his… interesting business practices, thus this building along with the others on this strip are being sold to make up the difference. I understand that it isn’t easy to hear. The auction will take place at 7:00pm tonight, lot 666; you have until then to remove your belongings.” He glanced nervously at the group of women surrounding him. “If you’ll excuse me, ladies.” Eric quickly made his way out, the air thick with their disdain.

Maze glared after him with eyes full of hate, reaching for her curved knife. Linda quickly stepped forward and stilled her hand, giving her a look. Looking at the shorter woman, Maze heaved a put-upon sigh and instead crossed her arms, watching as he ducked through the doors and left with the soft click of the latch. She quickly strode across the floor and behind the bar, taking a large drink from the closest whiskey bottle. Linda press her fingers into her temples and closed her eyes, leaning her weight against the bar.

“Soooooo,” Ella said from her seat beside her, an empty pina colada sitting in front of her, “should I look into a new job? I don’t particularly want to go back to stealing cars.”

Linda turned to her, the backbone of the group. “No, Ella. No one is losing their job.”

“But that guy’s dad just died! Not just died, but was literally found _murdered_ like half an hour ago,” she gesticulated wildly with her hands, emphasizing the underlying anxiety in her voice, “someone that cut-throat is not going to just drop it and let us keep this place. What are we going to tell Lucifer?”

The blonde woman paused, turning to gaze sadly at the lonely piano. “It’s going to be fine. It has only been two weeks, I’m sure that Lucifer will be back soon. He’s never not come back, and he especially wouldn’t leave LUX to be destroyed. We just need to get ahold of him.”

Maze scoffed. “After what happened with his little detective? I would frankly be shocked if he returned. We can kiss this place goodbye Linda: he isn’t coming back.” She turned to leave, but not before a new woman entered the club. Her heels were high but professional, her long pencil skirt swooshing over her knee as she walked Her makeup and hair simple but sophisticated. Beside her was a meager man, taking notes as she pointed here and there, remarking on what would be kept and what was trash.

“Excuse me ma’am, we’re closed. You need to leave.” Ella smiled as her apologetically.

The woman laughed haughtily. “After tonight I’ll be calling the shots, so why don’t you just zip it and let me do my job.”

Linda wasn’t fast enough to catch Maze as she lunged towards the woman and stopped inches from her face, stabbing her with her gaze. “ _Nobody_ talks to my girl Ella like that. Just who do you think you are?” She looked her up and down, daring the woman to say another word.

“Eleanor Bloom, developer. I have big plans for this place. At least, for the land that it sits on. This night club will be just plaster and dust on the Californian streets when I’m done with it.”

Linda and Ella made their way over to the women, Ella waving sweetly at the subordinate man while Linda addressed Eleanor, gently pushing Maze back away from her. “Ms. Bloom,” she began, “you can’t tear down LUX. Not with the amount of history that this place holds. It’s far too valuable.”

Eleanor gave a mocking sneer. “History? The only history this place has is criminal.” The three young women gave her varying degrees of looks: Maze angry, Linda discouraged, and Ella merrily scandalized. “Alright,” the older woman acquiesced with an annoyed look at each of them, “I’ll humor you; what ‘history’ could possibly be worth more than the mega mall that I’m planning to create.”

They led her over to a velvet booth, Maze snarling at the man as he went to join them, causing him to scuttle away to a corner where he played on his phone. Ella went to the bar and fetched them a bottle of vodka and a few shot glasses, Maze immediately taking the bottle and swigging directly from it. Eleanor looked at her with a mixture of disgust and admiration. With the shots poured, Linda folded her arms over the table and took a deep breath, returning her gaze to the business tycoon.

“It all started a year ago.”


	2. Prying Pandora, Little Lying Delilah

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go! I wasn't originally planning to post this so soon, but I literally have nothing else to do, as a prior medical condition leaves me lock in my house :)) Some of you will recognize the title of this chapter is directly lifted from one of the songs in Phantom of the Opera. It was just too perfect. There are a few other lines from the musical and the show sprinkled throughout. I hope that you all enjoy!

**One Year Ago**

The night was in full swing, writhing, intoxicated bodies clad in tight shimmering dresses or button downs, filling every inch of LUX. Among the dance floor was people giving over to their darkest desires, grinding and drinking and popping small brightly colored pills. There was a girl on almost every table having an unspoken battle with the one beside her, vying for the attention of men and women alike. Multicolored lights shone from above, casting the room in interchanging hues of red, blue, purple, green, small circles swirling through the air. There were people settled in the booths and at the tables, either sharing in each other’s company as friends or feverishly touching all over, with barely any in between. Every stool at the bar was filled, friends throwing back shot after shot, colleagues relaxing after a long day, women flirting their way into free drinks. Maze glanced around from her place at said bar, taking in the debauchery with an air of satisfaction. She had been working at LUX since it was first purchased, helped build it from the ground up, and she couldn’t be prouder. As a server passed by with the small pills that were being passed around the dance floor, she took one, examining the crude smiling face on it before placing it on her tongue and washing it down with her glass of whiskey.

“I love the night life.” She remarked before finishing her drink. Motioning for the bartender to refill it she looked to her companion beside her, the very woman who had brought she and the owner her in the first place. The short blonde woman sat primly beside her in a comfortable but sexy glittering top, long dark jeans and heels accentuating her legs. Linda rolled her eyes at her friend’s antics, but gave her a smile, raising her martini her way and taking a sip.

“Ah yes,” she said, “nothing quite like people trying to drown their issues in booze and bad decisions.”

Maze grinned back at her. “That’s the best part.” Flipping he dark hair over a caramel shoulder she made her way to the dance floor, short black dress doing everything to show off her physique, drawing everyone’s eyes.

Linda watched her go, happy to see her letting go. As she did, another woman caught her eye, dancing atop one of the tables. Her hair descended to her shoulders in soft curls, and she wore a pencil strapped dress that shimmered silver in the light, matching her eyes, overlaid with a white fur coat. She seemed to be enjoying herself, though her movements were lax and uncoordinated, obviously inhibited with alcohol. There were multiple men and women surrounding her table, egging her on, reaching out but not quite touching. Linda could have sworn that she’d seen her before, but couldn’t quite place her. Maybe it was the martini, maybe it was the skewed view she had. When Ella passed by her holding a tray of drinks Linda waved her over, leaning in close so that she could be heard above the music.

“Do you recognize that girl?” She pointed to who she was referring to.

Ella looked at her for a moment before shaking her head and quickly continuing on her way. Quick service meant better tips.

The night continued on into the early hours of the morning, and soon people were beginning to filter out into Ubers or with their designated drivers. By 3am, only one person remained: the blonde girl who had been dancing on the table. She sat at one of the low tables, head between her knees. Maze was helping Ella gather glasses and lost items scattered throughout the room. Linda determined that this was her chance, and made her way over to the girl. She carefully sat beside her and, when the girl didn’t seem to acknowledge her presence, rested a hand on her shoulder. The girl jerked and met Linda’s gaze; her eyes glassy. Linda looked to where the coat had ridden down her shoulders, seeing splotches of brown rimmed yellow and green, but also of a deep angry purple and red. Obviously bruises.

Linda cleared her throat and returned her eyes to the girl’s. “Hey. We’re closing down here. Are you okay? What’s your name?”

The girl looked lost for a moment before smiling a little, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “Oh, um, I’m okay. My name is Delilah. I was… waiting for someone, but he never came.”

“Who was it? Your significant other or…?”

“No. I um, don’t know his name. Or, maybe I don’t remember it. He just went by ‘The Devil.’ I wanted to talk to him about a favor he did for me.”

Linda suddenly remembered where she knew the girl from; she had come in the week before wanting to speak to Lucifer. She’d had fewer bruises then. “Ah yes,” Linda began awkwardly, “he doesn’t really show himself all that often. Especially when the crowd is here. He should be here soon to play though, if you would like to wait.”

Delilah shook her head. “I’m already pushing it. I’ve been out too late. Let him know that I stopped by though, please? I just wanted to thank him for his help with getting me an agent. I can finally leave this place. He’s like my angel of music.” She stood then, lifting her coat back onto her shoulders and shouldering her small purse. “Thank you for checking on me. I should really be going now. Good bye.”

Linda watched as she walked towards the doors, lightly swaying on her feet. She hoped that the poor girl had an Uber or taxi waiting for her. Looking around she began to help with clean up duty, which always took forever if not everyone worked to clear it. A short while later there was a soft ding as their boss strutted into the main floor of the club. Maze was quickly at his side, offering him a single glass of whiskey from the highest shelf. He nodded in thanks and went to his piano, beginning to play a somber tune, as Ella wiped down the bar and Linda tended to the tables.

\-----

Down the street, not far from the club, a woman will be gunned down by an unmarked vehicle. Her blood will splatter against the brick of a shop front, as glass rains down and follows her as she falls to the ground. The only witnesses will be the stars. And as she lays there, slowly bleeding out, her blonde hair splayed around her face and white fur coat becoming soaked in crimson, she will think of the life that she was so close to achieving, ruined by the Hell that she was currently living.

\-----

The following morning, Chloe entered the silent bar, bright was sunlight but otherwise seemingly empty. “LAPD! This is detective Decker; I have a few questions to ask about a case. Is anyone here?”

Suddenly, a small woman wearing an obnoxiously patterned t-shirt and brown hair popped up from behind the bar and startling Chloe, though she did her best not to show it.

“Hi! My name is Ella. Are you like, a real cop? What am I saying, of course you’re a real cop. What can I do for you, officer?”

Chloe noted that she seemed jittery and nervous, but supposed that it could have just been the woman’s personality. “Yes, well, I need you to answer some questions. A woman was found murdered this morning down the street from your establishment, and I have a witness that claims to have seen her leaving here around 3am.”

“You’re going to need to be a _little_ more specific than that,” she replied, not unkindly, “a lot of people were leaving around then, that’s when we close.”

“She has wavy blonde hair, about medium height. Wearing a fur coat. I can’t give you much more than that, under protocol.”

“Oh, yeah! She was totally here, the last to leave actually. My coworker, Linda, talked to her before she left. She seemed upset.”

Chloe made a mental note of Ella’s statement. “Okay, and is Linda here?”

Ella gently shook her head. “Not yet, but she will be soon. Feel free to have a seat.”

Chloe nodded. “Thank you.” She made her way to one of the tables, opening her notebook and going over the clues already written there. Scribbling down the new information she had gathered, albeit not much, she began fiddling with her pen. She haphazardly smoothed down her blazer and ran a hand over her braid, at a loss for what to do until either the woman was IDed or this Linda arrived to give her more information. As she sat there, pondering the gruesome scene left carelessly behind, she slowly became aware of piano music. It was very faint, seemingly far away, and yet it flooded Chloe’s senses as if it were being played right next to her. She looked to the piano that she had seen when coming in, but no one was there. There was a single glass resting on top of the instrument but it was otherwise undisturbed. Chloe sat and listened to the melody, soft and slow, yet punctuated with anger. Where could it be coming from?

“Detective?”

This time Chloe did jump, completely caught off guard as she had been enraptured in the song. “Yes, sorry. That’s me, I’m detective Decker, I work in homicide. Your coworker, Ella, tells me that you were the last to speak with our victim before she died. Do blonde wavy hair and a white fur coat ring a bell?”

Linda was quick to answer, much calmer than the other woman had been, but obviously distraught. “Yes, I spoke to a woman like that before she left last night. She said her name was Delilah. Is there something… Is she okay?”

“I’m afraid not. She was found dead this morning, and it appears that it wasn’t long after she left here. Did she mention anything to you? Was she acting weird?”

“I’m afraid I didn’t know her all that well. There were bruises on her arm though, that I probably wasn’t meant to see. All she mentioned was that she came here to speak with my,” a pause, “boss. She had wanted to thank him for a favor, but he wasn’t here. So, she left.” Linda crossed her arms over her stomach, feeling cold though the building was warm.

“Okay. Would I be able to speak to your boss?”

Linda hesitated, unsure of if that was a good idea or not. After some time she nodded, and brought Chloe over to the elevator, using her key to unlock the highest floor. They entered the small box and stood shoulder to shoulder, as the numbers steadily increased with a soft _ding ding ding_. Finally they were there, the doors sliding open. As she went to step out Linda stopped her with a hand on her wrist. 

“Don’t look into his eyes.”

Then the doors were closing behind her, and Chloe was left standing alone in what appeared to be someone’s living room. To her right was an elegant bar, crystal shelves lined with bottle after bottle of amber liquid housed in glass decanters. She couldn’t pronounce more than half of them. To her left were more shelves, though more traditional and filled with books, some modern and others ancient. There was a small sitting area that led out to a balcony, looking cozy in the sunlight coming from the floor to ceiling windows. The most prominent thing in the room, however, was the grand piano at the center. And at the piano, sipping delicately at a small glass of what she assumed was whiskey from one of the bottles, was a man. He back was towards her, but she could see that he was wearing an elegant three-piece suit, and that his jet-black hair appeared to be slicked back. She slowly approached him, coming up on his right and lightly tapping her notebook against the piano.

“I hear you’re the owner of the establishment downstairs. Do you have a name?”

He didn’t turn to face her, instead taking a sip from his glass and watching the keys of the piano. “That I do my dear, though unfortunately I cannot give it to you. I go by ‘The Devil’, I do hope that that satisfies you.”

“’The Devil’? I’m assuming that’s a moniker you choose to go by?”

“God given, I’m afraid.”

“Well, Mr. Devil, it appears that my victim had had plans to meet with you last night before she was killed. Do you know anything about that?”

His shoulders, which had before been lax and carefree, though not unguarded, immediately became a line of tension. What she could see of his mouth become an enraged sneer, tainted with obvious despair. He quickly down the rest of his drink, nearly slamming the glass back down once it was empty. “Yes, I heard. Delilah used to sing here. She was very talented, but had none of the connections to go anywhere with it. I introduced her to a few chaps who owed me favors, and last I heard she was meant to begin her first tour. Today.” His fingers harshly gripped that top of the black instrument, clinging for control.

“I’m sorry, I know that this is hard. Was there anyone who would have wanted Delilah dead?”

The Devil breathed out harshly. “Have you checked with her boyfriend, Jimmy Barnes? That son of a Bitch was constantly tormenting the poor girl. I pulled some strings to have a restraining order placed on him for her, but the bastard didn’t take the hint. And now she’s dead, and it’s my fault!”

Chloe regarded the man sitting before her carefully. She could just barely see his eyes from her position standing beside the piano bench, and she could have sworn that she saw them flash briefly in anger. Apparently, staying awake late researching cases was starting to take its toll on her. In a moment he seemed to deflate, his fingers gently caressing the crystal tumbler, as if he could conjure another drink. Chloe stepped over to the bar and grabbed the first bottle, bringing it to him and setting it beside the glass. He didn’t look at her, but it was a near thing, a slight twitch in his jaw hinting at restrained movement. She settled her hand on his shoulder and he stilled, halfway to pouring the newly acquired drink. The Devil pressed back into her touch, just barely, and there it was again, the ghost of red and orange lighting up his eyes. She snatched her hand back as if the fire there had burned her, and heard him chuckle ruefully.

“Ah, I see what this is about now. Come to take a look at The Devil, the man who deals in desire and favors?” His voice was slowly rising in anger when he suddenly turned to face her, eyes blazing, the hint of burns ghosting over his features, angry and raw. Chloe took a few steps backwards, her back pressing into the bar and stalling her retreat. He met her step for step, his gaze locked onto hers, and she faintly acknowledged that she’d broken Linda’s rule. “Is this what you wanted to see, detective? Well, my dear,” the man, the _monster_ seethed, “I hope that you’re happy, now you cannot ever be free!”

Just as swiftly as it had appeared, the anger burning in his eyes snuffed out, leaving behind a sunset drown in sorrow. He made his way back to the piano, where he finally poured his second drink and swallow it down all at once. His body was that of a marionette whose strings had been cut, limp and slouched, but reflecting a silhouette of resignation rather than relaxation. He picked up her notebook, abandoned on the pianos top, and brought it over to her. “I believe you have a lead to follow. You should take your leave now.”

\-----

Back at the precinct, Chloe stared absently at the files spread across her desk, unseeing. The normal bustle of her fellow police men and women faded into the background, barely noticeable when she’d have to purposefully tune it out any other day. Her mind was far away, trapped in a tower high above the city, with a man who was so innocuous from the back, but whose façade left her trembling. What was once a routine investigation had become hopelessly complicated, and it only took one man. _Man_ , she thought, _can I even call him that?_ She was taken out of her thoughts abruptly as a thumb and forefinger snapped a few times in front of her face.

“Chloe? Chloe! Hello!”

The fog lifted from her senses as she looked up at him, an awkward smile lifting her lips. “Oh, Dan. Sorry I was um, lost in thought.”

“That’s fine. Got any leads on our gunned down prima donna?”

“Yeah actually. Jimmy Barnes, her fiancé, was supposedly abusive, which would explain her older bruises. Apparently she was leaving, about to make it in the music industry. My working theory is that he wasn’t too happy about that, and offed her before she could get the chance. I ran his name through the system, there was a temporary restraining order against him. But she never testified, so it wasn’t made permanent. It was dropped the night she died.”

Dan slowly shook his head in disgust. “Do we have a BOLO out for his arrest?”

Chloe began gathering documents, tapping them against her desk to straighten them and return them to their folder. She placed it, along with a few others into her canvas bag, and stood. “Yep. There’s nothing else I can really do today. I think I’m going to go back to the scene, see if there’s anything we missed. We still haven’t recovered a murder weapon.

Dan smiled shyly at her, jamming his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. “Well, I don’t have to pick Trixie up from school for another hour. You wanna… grab something to eat?”

She smiled gently at her estranged husband. They had agreed to try working things out, for the sake of their daughter, and so far, he had made more of an effort for both her and Trixie. “Sure,” she nodded, “food sounds great. I’ll meet you at Hollywood Burger?”

He grinned and nodded, going to his desk to pack up for the day.

\-----

When they arrived at the small burger-joint they found a table sat down, Dan settling his jacket over his chair before going to order for them. Chloe took this time to take out Delilah’s case and look through it, going over the forensic report and the different notes made by the officers on scene. Delilah seemed like an innocent enough girl, from her background check. She had started her career singing in small seedy bars, where she had met Jimmy Barnes, who claimed that he could make her famous. In reality, the only thing he had introduced her too was cocaine. Sometime later she began working in LUX. _Working for The Devil_ , Chloe mused. The thought of him stole her attention, and he was once again at the forefront of her mind.

Dan soon returned with their food, and though she didn’t have much of an appetite, she dug in. They talked about this and that, daily life, difficult cases, work gossip, Trixie. It was easy, simple, and exactly the dose of domesticity that Chloe needed.

After their meal was finished Dan left to get Trixie while Chloe stayed behind to work through some of the paperwork she had brought. Paperwork was by far her least favorite part of being a cop, but she reminisced bitter-sweetly on the nights that her dad would complain to her from the kitchen table while he did the very same. Things had been so much simpler then, if more embarrassing. She winced at her previous job as an actress, though her dad had been endlessly proud. She hoped that she was making him just as proud now, wherever he might be. Chloe shook herself from the past and looked outside, where it was steadily becoming darker out. Packing everything up once again and throwing out her garbage she headed out, driving to back to the crime scene.

\-----

As she stepped out of her car and approached the yellow tape, Chloe couldn’t help but shiver in trepidation, being so close to the LUX building. She had left so fast that Linda and Ella hadn’t had the chance to ask how the meeting had went. Shaking her head, she began examining the area again, searching hopefully for something to link Jimmy Barnes to the crime. It was unlikely, being that it had been a drive-by, but there was no harm in being thorough. Same way down the street, in a small alley between LUX and the neighboring building, a glint caught her eye. Drawing out the cloth that she used to keep her fingerprints from contaminating evidence, she knelt and picked up the item: a cracked Rollex. She became distantly aware of the sullen melody of a piano. As she stood, beginning to carefully transition the watch into a plastic bag, the soft _click_ of a gun.

“You shouldn’t have come back, detective.”

Behind her Jimmy Barnes stood, aiming his gun at her upper torso. “Put the gun down, Jimmy,” she said, slowly turning, her hands up, placating, “you don’t need to make things any worse for yourself than they already are.”

“That bitch was going to abandon me. She had it coming. She was mine; we were supposed to make it together. But then she met _him_ , and she was leaving. Los Angeles, me, everything we had built, just throwing it away. She thought that watch would be enough to keep me from following, but she was wrong.” His smile was sinister. “Dead wrong. And so are you, for putting your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

Chloe reached for her gun but it was too late. Jimmy’s gun went off with a resounding **_pop!_** _ _and a searing pain blistered through her collar bone. She fell back against the pavement, her head colliding with it in a burst of colors then pain then numbness. There was blood, her blood, making her cheek sticky, its warmth pooling slowly around her should and neck. Her vision fuzzed, went dark, returned, and suddenly there was another person there. She noted dully that he was tall, watched, her vision blurred, as he stalked towards Jimmy, who had stooped to gather his watch. She heard him scream, loud and desperate, and then there was silence. Chloe must have lost time again, because suddenly _he_ was there, his suit disheveled, eyes wild.__

__Eyes that were desperate, afraid, and angry. So many things, and yet flaming was not one of them._ _

__“I don’t want to die.” She gasped out, broken, barely a whisper._ _

__“I won’t let you.”_ _

__And then there was nothing._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has already diverged a bit from my original plan, so I have even less of an idea on how long it will be, when it will update, etc. Once again, I check my own work, so I'm sorry for any mistakes! I look forward to your comments/critiques/kudos!


	3. All I Ask of You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another chapter! The outline has taken a complete dive, so I think I'm going to take the time to revise it so that it fits the current trajectory. I hope you're all still enjoying reading this as much as I am writing it.

_Soft silk encasing her body, scratchy-tackiness stuck over her collarbone, numbness and searing heat all at one._

Consciousness was slow to come to Chloe, her mind swimming sluggishly through the black sludge keeping her cataleptic. She struggled through the darkness, trying desperately to string together thoughts that refused to keep still. There was a man, and then two, and then the stars. A scream, and then the taller, slimmer man had returned. After that, things slid together like pieces from different puzzles, rough edges that didn’t quite fit, two paintings sloshing together that made little sense. She remembered to feeling of two strong arms pressing her against a warm chest, the ghost of lights whispering over her eyelids, nausea as she floated upwards, the soft whimper she made when her wound jarred and pulled.

The desperate voice of a man calling for _Linda!_ , and where had she heard that name before?

Chloe’s eyes fluttered open and she took in her surroundings. Soft sunlight poured in from the South-facing windows, the sheer black curtains doing nothing to keep the rays at bay. The coverlet on top of her was black and luxurious, so much better than the cotton sheets she had purchased on sale a few years ago. Surrounding her were walls that seemed to be made of ancient stone, cold and comforting all at once; a small spherical lamp sat on an unseen table beside her, and Chloe grinned dazedly at the sheer contrast between archaic and modern. She sat up, gasping softly at the pull of gauze across her screaming shoulder. She recognized all at once that her shirt was gone and had been replaced with an over-sized men’s dress shirt that smelt faintly of a fine cologne. A quick peek below the sheets showed that her legs were bare. Blushing, Chloe slowly sat up, the memories finally rising to the surface.

There was piano music coming from somewhere in the distance and Chloe turned to follow the sound, finding that it was coming from the room beyond the doorway. She slowly stood, careful to keep her arm still. At the foot of the bed, a short way away, sat a leather chair. Sitting on top of it were a button-down women’s top, jeans, her phone, and what looked to be a sling. Chloe stared down at them for a moment before taking them and putting the jeans on after removing the tag, barely containing a scream when she attempted to remove the dress shirt. Instead, she draped the shirt and sling over her good arm, sliding her cell into the back pocket. It was then that she noticed the small note that must have been hiding beneath stack. She picked it up, studying the calligraphy scrawled beautifully across the front: _Detective_. Turning it over, Chloe was met with the same looping handwriting.

_Detective, I hope this note finds you well. I will be in the next room over until you wake. If there is anything you desire, I implore you to request it. ~LM_

Chloe didn’t recognize the initials. She’d been certain that the note had been from The Devil, as this had to be his room, but now she wasn’t so sure. Perhaps Linda had left it for her? Carefully tucking the letter into the crook of her arm with the shirt, she made her way to the stairs, practically dragging her feet. Her shoulder was killing her.

As her foot touched down on the cool black marble of the first floor the hands on the piano paused briefly, very briefly, before their fingers continued to dance across the ivory keys once again. Belatedly, she realized that he was in nothing more than dress pants, his back bare to her as she padded forward. It was then that she noticed two mirrored scars dragging along his shoulder blades, the skin mottled, webs of poorly healed flesh crawling like branches across them. Chloe slowly approached the man sitting there, trepidation settled heavy and tingling in her bones. Finally she was there, nearly pressed against his back, and she reached out to touch one with her good hand, entranced, everything falling to the floor. Chloe had just barely brushed the surface of one before his large hand was a vice around her wrist, pleading eyes turned to hers. “Don’t,” he gasped, voice trembling, “please.” Chloe stared, caught off guard, before nodding, as he released her wrist and looked away. The motion jarred her would and she hissed in pain. The Devil returned his gaze to her and seemed to remember all at once why she was there.

“I’m sorry darling, I’d forgotten. How are you feeling?”

“My shoulder… burns. I couldn’t, um, change my shirt. Do you know where Linda is? She left me a note.”

His eyes shuttered for a moment but it was quickly gone, and Chloe filed that away to examine later.

“Ah, yes. Linda. She is currently predisposed, I’m afraid, but I could help you in her stead.” She lifted a brow at his impish grin. “No funny business, you have my word.”

Chloe smiled dubiously. “Well, it’s not like I have much of a choice." She hesitated. "Alright.”

He pulled the heavy wooden cover over the keys and stood, stooping down to grab the things that she had dropped, and leading her over to the couch in the middle of the room. The Devil gently pushed her to sit on said couch, settling on the table in front of her and reaching for the buttons of the dress shirt. “Is this alright?” She hummed her ascension and his fingers made quick work of undoing each one, carefully sliding the garment from her shoulders when he was done. True to his word, his gaze and touch didn’t linger, instead focusing on getting the new top on and buttoned. He made quick work of the sling as well, slipping it over her arm and adjusting the strap in place so that her arm was cradled comfortably against her chest. She winced, only once, and then it was over. His heart fluttered as she smiled softly in thanks at him, his fingers itching to return to her skin.

“Who patched me up? Am I going to need to go to a hospital to receive proper treatment?”

“No, no; that won’t be necessary detective. Linda attended medical school some time ago and was able to do a fine job for a dropout!” Chloe was speechless. They sat in silence for a moment before he opened a small box on the table, disrupting the awkwardness that had descended upon them, and extracted an orange tube of pills. “While these are quite good fun, they will probably be better suited being used for your pain. Nothing illegal, I assure you, though my method of acquiring them is probably morally ambiguous.” Chloe huffed, the cop in her recoiling at the thought of taking misappropriated opiates. However, the human in her was screaming for relief from the pain and she took it carefully into her palm with a soft thank you. He snapped the bottle closed and returned it to its resting place, speaking vibrantly, “probably best not to take it on an empty stomach. How about I get dressed, now that I've got my shirt back, and get us some brekky, eh?” The Devil was already standing and moving to do just that, and Chloe could do nothing but lay back against the couch. She sighed at the missed messages and calls from Dan and called him back, closing her eyes and trying to work through an explanation that wouldn't be completely insane as the phone rang against her ear.

“Chloe? Where the hell are you, are you alright?”

So much for a hello.

“Hey, Dan. Yeah, yeah I’m okay. Mostly. I was shot by Jimmy Barnes yesterday when I went by to check the scene. He admitted to killing Delilah and needs to be apprehended before he can hurt someone else.”

Dan immediately launched into her, asking enough questions to send her head spinning. Apparently after she failed to show the babysitter had called him so that he could come get Trixie, and he had spent the rest of the night trying to calm their daughter and figure out where she had gone all at once. He’d tracked the GPS in her vehicle to the crime scene, but when the officers he’d sent arrived, they’d found nothing more than Jimmy Barnes, cuffed and rocking back and forth against the wall in the nearby alley. They’d taken him into custody and matched his gun with the one used to kill Delilah, his prints all over the weapon and his constant apologies more than enough to convict him for her murder. Chloe sighed and sunk deeper into the couch, relieved that Trixie was okay and that their culprit had been caught. She watched as The Devil moved to his own phone and quickly ordered catering, now back in a well-fitted suit.

“Chloe, where are you right now? I haven’t received a call from a hospital or anything.”

“That’s because I’m not at a hospital, Dan. Just trust me when I say that I’m okay. I’ll pick up Trixie from school later, okay? Do you know where they took my cruiser?”

Dan informed her that it had been brought back to the station, and, with a reluctant goodbye on his part, Chloe ended the call.

“Is everything alright, detective?” The Devil was pouring himself a glass of bourbon from his large collection.

“Yes. Dan is processing Jimmy Barnes for Delilah’s murder now. I need to submit a report of his shooting me as well, when I go to the station later.” She realized as she spoke that she was telling him too much, but couldn’t find it in herself to care. Her mind drifted to the day before, when his eyes were entirely too vibrant and his face marred like no other she’d seen before. But now his face was smooth, well-kept stubble the only thing marring his flesh. His eyes were dark chocolate and warm, mischief swimming in their pools, with something softer hidden beneath.

“Quite an ignorant fool, isn’t he? Basking in your glory and my triumph.” He polished off his glass.

“Well, actually he’s – ” Chloe was interrupted by the soft ding of the elevator, a woman she hadn’t seen before appearing with what Chloe assumed was their breakfast.

“Mazikeen! Perfect timing. You can just leave that there; the detective and I are having a little chat. Off you go.” Chloe stood from the couch and made her way over, noting the way that Mazikeen looked her up and down, unimpressed. Before Chloe could introduce herself she was quickly turning away with a huff and leaving them alone together once again.

“Well now, don’t want this to get cold, do we? Let’s tuck in, and afterwards I’ll drive you to your precinct. I’m sure this detective _douche_ will be missing you.”

\-----

Missing her had been a gross understatement. After The Devil had dropped her off outside of the precinct – in a corvette no less – Chloe had barely made it inside before Dan was on her demanding answers. She filled in what she could, purposefully leaving some things in the dark. After all, hearing that she’d slept in another man’s bed last night could only cause more problems than solve their current one. Eventually she managed to shoo him off, allowing her the chance to fill out her report and complete the necessary paperwork to finish closing the case. Her shoulder throbbed, and she mentally thanked The Devil for giving her a few extra pills to take with her when they’d left. As soon as she’d finished Chloe packed up to go, having been given a few days of leave for her injury.

When the clock stuck 3:00pm she was off to pick up Trixie from school, and life was normal once again, as if everything else had simply been a bad dream.

\-----

Life had become decidedly abnormal.

Lucifer sat at his piano, idly fingering the keys, though not actually creating sound. His tumbler of whiskey and half-smoked joint were left abandoned to his right as he stared off into space, his thoughts lingering on a certain blonde-haired, blue-eyed detective, the way her skin had felt beneath his very fingers only hours ago. While Maze had been by his side for an eternity, and Linda ever since he had come to Earth, he hadn’t realized until he met the detective just how lonely he’d been. Yet, all of sudden she was here, and everything felt different. Everything _was_ different. He had been punishing evil souls ever since his Fall, first in Hell and then as parts of deals, but he’d never done it to protect someone. It was never, ever personal or to bring proper justice. And yet, Jimmy Barnes had been so by twofold: for both Delilah and the detective. He found himself pondering after her name, wanting to know more about her. He wanted to know who she was, what someone such as herself could possibly desire. So lost in these thoughts he didn’t recognize that he was no longer the only one in the penthouse.

“Your little detective finally gone?” The demon sauntered over, leaning seductively over the opposite side of the piano, perky breasts fully on display.

“Ah, Mazikeen. When did you come in?”

Her eyes narrowed and she went back around the insturment to be at his side, pressing up against him. “It’s getting late, Lucifer. Shouldn’t you be getting ready to head down to the club? Your booth is all ready for you.”

“Do you think the detective would come here sometime, if I asked it of her?”

The demon rolled her eyes and pulled back, her body language closing off, becoming defensive. “What’s your sudden fascination with her? She’s no different than any other human woman you’ve encountered.”

“Well that’s just it Mazikeen, she _is_ different. She’s seen my true face, partially anyways. Felt one of my scars. And yet, she still trusted me to take care of her. Why?”

Maze was frozen to the spot, staring at Lucifer as if seeing him for the first time. “She saw you? She… You let her _touch you_?” He was quick to correct her, “caught me by surprise, actually, but she copped a feel, nonetheless. These things do happen.” He lifted his forgotten glass to his lips and finished his drink. At his side Maze was quietly seething.

“And you’re not going to stop these ‘things’ from happening, are you?”

“Quite the contrary! She’s intrigued me; what endless longings echo in her soul, I wonder?” He trailed off again, considering. Maze huffed and walked quickly away, butting her shoulder into his as she went.

Who did this little toad think she was?

\-----

One thing that Chloe didn’t miss about normal life was doing the dishes. And doing them with one arm out of commission? Doubly not as fun. It was hard being unable to hug her daughter as fully as she’d wanted to when picking her up from school. With the other option having been to never see or hug her again, though, Chloe supposed that half-hugs would more than suffice until she healed. She glanced backwards at her daughter who was doing her homework at the kitchen table. The little girl, only seven, had to deal with so much at her young age. Chloe felt some guilt for it but knew that her job was important, and that she was making the world a safer place for her daughter. She felt her arm twinge with pain and decided that the dishes could wait.

Trixie was just finishing up her math homework when Chloe approached her, and she quickly checked it over before kissing her cheek. “Good job monkey. Why don’t you go get ready for bed, and I’ll put on a movie for us?”

The small girl bounced up in the excited way that only children could and went off to brush her teeth and get on pajamas. Chloe gathered her work back into her alien backpack and went to their movie collection, looking at their choices. She popped _Lilo and Stitch_ into the player just as Trixie returned and, as they sat on the couch, a threadbare blanket pulled over them, Chloe felt content.

\-----

Sometime later, when the room was pitch black and the movie had long since ended, Chloe awoke to the soft clink of dishes being moved into the drying rack. She carefully extracted herself from the couch, laying Trixie down against the cushions, and stalked her way to the kitchen. She’d barely drawn her gun before The Devil came into view. He was standing at her sink, obnoxious yellow gloves pulled to his elbows, with a scrub brush in one hand and a bowl in the other. Chloe lowered her gun and returned to the living room, bringing Trixie to her bedroom and shutting the door before going back to him and angrily whispering “you _broke into my house?_ ” 

“I had come to speak to you, but you and the little spawn were sleeping so soundly. Then I noticed that the dishes were left undone, you naughty thing, and decided to just bide my time.”

“What was so important that you felt the need to barge into my home uninvited?” She seethed, but it didn’t seem to bother The Devil at all, if his broad smile was anything to go by.

“Detective, you saw my face. At least, partially. I’m afraid we’re past the point of no return, now.” The smile was still there but no longer reaching his eyes. He put down the brush and removed the gloves, laying them over the sink.

Chloe froze and leaned back against the counter, her mind flashing back to eyes of fire and scorched skin. She had convinced herself that, perhaps, it was just a trick of the light. Too many late nights looking through cases. Yet here he was, Devil moniker and all, acting as if it had really happened.

She steeled herself, lightly cleared her throat, tried to find her voice. “I don’t know what I saw. But whatever it was, it was obviously my imagination, or some really crafty face makeup, to keep up your strange façade of being the devil. Clearly, whatever it was, you don’t have it now.” Something in him released then, in relief or disappointment, like she was missing something, Chloe couldn’t tell.

“Yes well, regardless, that’s not reason that I came here. Not entirely. I want to know what our next case is! I’ve found that I’ve taken a liking to punishing the cretins of the world here, in the flesh.”

“I’m sorry, you _what?_ ”

“Have I been unclear detective? I wish to make our partnership something more eternal.”

Chloe paused, the true insanity of her life sinking in. “Let me get this straight. You, a man who broke into my house, who I barely know, and who apparently deals in favors that leave people dead, want to be my partner? I don’t even know your real name!” Her voice had risen to a near squeak and Chloe forcibly took a breath to calm herself, not wanting to wake Trixie.

“First of all, I'm not responsible for any deaths, and am not about to take the blame for them now. Secondly, my name is Lucifer. Morningstar. It’s not as if I know your name either, I wasn’t aware that it was important.”

She stared at him for what seemed like hours but could have only been a few minutes at most. “Lucifer Morningstar? That’s only slightly less ridiculous than The Devil.” Her thoughts turned to the note left with her clothes, which she’d hidden in her desk once returning home. “Wait. ‘LM?’ That was _you_?”

“My, my, you are good, aren’t you? Yes, the note was from me. Though I understand the confusion, Linda’s surname is Martin, after all.”

That… made a weird amount of sense. Chloe looked at him, taking in his tense stance, one waiting for rejection, appearing used to being cast out. She sighed and looked towards the ceiling, hoping she wouldn’t come to regret her decision in the future as she closed her eyes for strength. Her voice was soft in a way that had nothing to do with trying to keep quiet. “Well,” she began, “you did save my life, and pointed us towards Jimmy in the first place. Honestly, I’m not sure if we would have closed Delilah's case without you.” His eyes were quickly lighting up at the praise, and she raised one finger to keep him from speaking. “If this is going to happen, we need to set up some boundaries. You can help me work through cases and find leads, but you can’t show up to crime scenes or the precinct, or anything like that. I will bring the cases to you. Deal?”

“Making a deal with the devil, detective? I didn’t think you were the type.” He locked his eyes onto her and leaned in close, raising the hair on Chloe’s arms. “Tell me, what do you desire in return?”

He stood there, expectantly, as if waiting for some kind of inevitable answer. Chloe was taken by his eyes and for a moment, couldn’t look away.

The moment broke and she pulled herself away with a look of confusion. “I mean, a fresh pair of eyes is usually beneficial to a case, and you've proven yourself useful.” He looked taken aback and lost, as if she’d grown a second head, before quickly schooling his features into something more blank. “So… partners?” She held out her hand for him to shake.

He glanced at it before smiling, something soft and genuine, and Chloe thought faintly that he should do it more often. He took her hand and firmly shook, his warm eyes never leaving hers.

“That’s all I ask of you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a lot of fun writing this one. I think the two stories really blend together nicely, but that they do so that gives each a fresh new spin. Comments/Kudos/Critiques mean a lot to me, please let me know what you thought! See you all next time


	4. Music of the Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new case leaves Chloe frustrated and lost, her personal life looking just as confusing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiiii... I'm back. I was away far longer than I ever intended. It was very very hard to write this for some reason, I had very severe block. I also resumed my tasks back at work, leaving me with less free time. However, with season five's trailer releasing today, I guess I was struck by inspiration. Thank you for everyone who was patient with me - I know this story isn't popular or anything, but each bookmark/save means the world to me, and I dearly hope that I haven't disappointed you. I am already drafting the next chapter, so I will definitely be back much sooner this time.
> 
> At one point in this chapter, Lucifer is playing the piano. I didn't really want to name drop it, but it's "Music of the Night" from the musical. You can listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7qRnIoAmg8, and I prefer it at 0.75 speed.
> 
> Welcome/welcome back, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
> 
> Disclaimer: I beta my own work, all errors are my own.

As Chloe made the drive over to Lucifer’s penthouse, a few case files stacked against the passenger seat beside her, she couldn’t help but let her mind wander into the forest of her thoughts. She had just left Trixie with Dan for the night, a secret piece of chocolate cake tucked into her overnight bag as an apology for having to work on taco Tuesday, and now sat at the glaring red light of an intersection. The last few months danced behind her eyes, nights spent with Lucifer in his open-plan living space working by candlelight, the black marble a dark sea beneath them. Ever since agreeing to let him consult on cases her close-rate had skyrocketed, and everyone was hounding her to try to figure out her secret. Chloe, of course, had no intention of ever telling them. Not only was her work more fulfilled, she thought with a blushing smile, but her life in general had become much brighter. Not to mention, would anyone truly believe her if she were to tell them that a night club owner was aiding her in solving murder cases?

Her job, usually somber and melancholy and leaving a sour taste in her mouth, became something that she looked forward to. After losing her father it had seemed like the next logical step. A way to continue his legacy, to remember her friend and father. She could only wonder where she would be if he hadn’t been gunned-down in the line of duty. Would she still be an actress, following her mother into a life of glitz and glam? Would she even have Trixie? She couldn’t be sure; all she really knew was that she was happy where she was, more so now that Lucifer was by her side.

Chloe pulled into her reserved space at LUX and parked, grabbing the files and carefully stuffing them into her bag. She smiled and waved at the bouncer as he greeted her and continued inside, finding a weird amount of comfort in the roving lights and pulsating music. Lucifer was sitting in his normal booth lazily sipping at the glass of bourbon in his hand as he took in the club around him. Chloe watched him for a moment, taking in the way that his gaze drifted from person to person, his position poised and relaxed at the same time. His long legs were crossed elegantly in front of him, swathed in the midnight of his trousers, his arms slung along the back of his seat. As soon as his gaze fell on her he was sitting up, his eyes brightening and a smile gracing his lips. She smiled back and began making her way over to him when she was tackled from the side, a small brunette tucked into her side and trying to squeeze the life out of her. Her smile turned exasperated at the Devil and he simply raised his glass to her, finishing it off and heading back towards the bar.

“Oh my God, Chloe! What’re you doing here, it’s Tuesday, don’t you usually have something with your daughter and Dan today?”

Chloe hugged Ella back. Though they weren’t as close, she still considered the cheerful girl her friend. “Hey Ella. I have a case to work tonight that just couldn’t wait. Slow night?”

“Tuesdays always are! I won’t keep you, can’t get between the dynamic duo.” She sauntered off with a wink.

Linda gave her a quick wave from her place at the bar but continued her talk with tall man beside her, wrapping her lips around the straw of the fluorescent drink in her hand. Before she could study them too much Lucifer was in front of her, two drinks in hand: one another serving of bourbon, the other a margarita.

“Detective,” he grinned, holding out the glass to her, “couldn’t let your fiesta end so soon, now could we?” She smiled at his antics and lightly rolled her eyes, taking the drink from him. “So,” he continued with all the enthusiasm of a puppy, “we have a case.”

Chloe shifted her bag on her hip to emphasize it, taking a sip from her drink. She didn’t miss the way that his eyes followed her mouth and lingered there before they fell to her bag. She licked the lingering taste of strawberry from her lips, drawing his gaze back to her face. “Let’s go upstairs, shall we?”

His grin was playful yet predatory in the way that only he could pull off. “I thought you’d never ask.”

As they made their way to the elevator, drinks in hand and side-by-side, neither really noticed the pair of eyes burning holes in their backs from behind the bar.

\-----

There was fire shining in his irises.

Chloe chided herself internally and returned her gaze to the open files in front of her. She was steadily growing warmer from the fire lit at her back, her cardigan long ago discarded and hanging over the arm of Lucifer’s couch. He sat across from her, whiskey glass emptied three times over, though he showed no hint of affect. His dark hair had slowly morphed from slicked perfection to untamed curls as the night wore on and he absentmindedly ran his hands through it in frustration. Chloe felt similarly defeated, the murder of John Bouquet leaving nearly everything to the imagination. To the untrained eye he seemed like any other street junky dead from an overdose on heroin. However, he’d had none of the bruising of a normal user, there was no paraphernalia found nearby, and his body had been dumped. Nearby cameras caught a car driving by around the time of death, but there was no angle to show John’s body being dumped from it or the license plate. They had almost nothing to go on.

Chloe returned her eyes to the dark-haired man in front of her with a sigh, closing the file as he looked up at her. “Giving up so soon, detective? But it’s only 1:00 in the morning!”

She shook her head at his energy, though his face was clearly pinched with exhaustion, and smiled. “Clearly we aren’t getting anywhere tonight. I’d hoped that there was something that we were just overlooking, but we’ll just have to wait for toxicology to get back to us on what strain of heroin was in his system and then go from there.” She paused to yawn, lifting a hand to her mouth and stretching her back. “I need to get some shut-eye before I go to the station tomorrow.” She looked ruefully at her margarita glass; she’d stopped before the buzz had ever come, but it couldn’t hurt to be careful.

“Please,” Lucifer said, reaching across the table to stop her as she pulled out her phone to order an Uber, “let me pay for your ride. It’s the least I can do, seeing as I did absolutely nothing else for you tonight.”

Chloe smiled. “Well, I wouldn’t say that. If it weren’t for you, I would have just been sitting alone at home going crazy on my own. Your company was more than worth it.”

The expression dancing behind his eyes was something complicated that Chloe hadn’t seen before, mixture between confusion and esteem. It had only been a few months, but against all odds, the two had become quick friends. Chloe found that they were nearly completely different people, and yet somehow, they clicked together, perfect puzzle pieces. She watched as he drew out his own phone and began typing, fingers flickering against the screen. His nails were nicely trimmed, causing Chloe to chuckle internally; unlike Dan, there was not a single part of the man that was not well-groomed.

“Well detective, it appears that we will be enjoying each other’s company for awhile longer still! No Ubers are available for another thirty minutes.”

“That’s alright,” she said, standing and nudging her bag to lean against the table, “wanna watch an episode of something? We have time.” Chloe joined him on the sofa, sinking into the Italian leather with a resigned but content sigh.

“We could, or I could play you a little something on the piano, hm? You should count yourself lucky, not many people are granted a private viewing.” He winked at her and her mouth twisted up into a sly grin, knowing that that was definitely not true. However, she couldn’t deny that his playing was lovely, and so she nodded. Lucifer rose to his feet and carried his glass to the bar, refilling it with the same bottle he had been at all night, and taking a seat at the piano.

Chloe couldn’t decipher what he was playing, being no music expert, but she recognized immediately that the melody was softer, slower than his usual choices. Generally, Lucifer reveled in showing off, his songs leaping from the keys and surrounding his listeners in a cacophony of energized tempo. What he played now, however, wrapped Chloe in warmth, the looping notes feeling somber and tantalizing. She settled back against the couch, her eyelids drooping closed to focus on the sound.

Lucifer glanced briefly at the blonde-haired woman from over top his piano, watching as her head slowly dipped against the back of the couch. He smiled then, soft and reserved and only for himself to know, letting his fingers drift over the final notes before they came to a rest. He downed the remainder of his drink and set the decanter on the piano to be gathered and washed later. Briefly considering leaving her to sleep there, he decided that that wouldn’t do. The Devil stooped beside her and carefully lifted her into his arms. Chloe snuffled softly and shifted her head against his chest before going still. He gave pause for a moment, watching her with interest. Her hair had loosened from the tie, leaving it slightly messy. Though her eyes were closed, he knew beneath the lids rested eyes of icy blue that were warmed with a touch of green. Her lips were full and slightly parted, and he lingered there, wishing to press his own against them. Lucifer mentally shook himself and moved to his bedroom, laying Chloe in his bed and pulling the coverlet over her. She took no time in nuzzling into the pillow, _his_ pillow, before settling.

He watched her for a minute longer before heading out to the bar, pouring himself a final drink and moving out onto his balcony.

\---

Chloe awoke once again wrapped in silky sheets from so long ago. She sat up with a yawn and a stretch, clambering out and quickly making the bed. As she smoothed her hand over the blankets, she remembered the last time that she had been there, a phantom throb in her shoulder coming to light at the memory.

She really needed to stop being carried to this bed.

Checking her phone, Chloe was relieved to find that it was only 7:00am, leaving her time to go home and change. Stepping through the doorway and making her way down the steps, Chloe smiled softly at seeing Lucifer sprawled across the couch, his long limbs fitting poorly in the small space. She crept over quietly, shouldering her bag and tip-toing away. Moving towards the elevator, she couldn’t help but brush his unruly curls away from his forehead with a soft “thank you” before she left. Chloe rode directly down to the garage and drove home, quickly changing and heading to the station, hastened by a text from Dan telling her that the toxicology report had come in.

There was work to be done.

\---  
Chloe didn’t think she would ever get used to the smell of the precinct.

The janitors worked regularly to keep it spic and span, the stainless-steal columns and glass walls always shining and clear. Beneath the smell of bleach and Windex wafted fresh coffee and donuts, the occasional burrito scent coming from the break room a break in the monotony. Then there were the people. People brought in for public intoxication that had who knows how many different fluids on them, deep sultry perfume from men and women alike arrested for prostitution, and many other unpleasant things that Chloe chose not to identify. As she breezed her way over to the coffee machine, she made sure to smooth a hand over her top, ensuring that she hadn’t missed any buttons or left something turned out in her haste to leave.

As she poured the deep russet liquid into a random mug, her current hopeless case slipped into her mind. It was looking more and more like the person responsible was going to get away with it. She’d ran a quick search of his name this morning but found that no prior drug charges had conveniently appeared over night as she had bizarrely hoped. Sighing, she made her way over to Dan’s desk, a second coffee in her hand for him a peace offering.

“So, toxicology got a report back on the strain of heroine in the victim’s body?”

He took the mug from her with a tight-lipped smile, sipping as he pulled it up on his computer. “Yep. White powder heroin, cut with a large amount of oxy. The autopsy revealed that the mix resulted in an overdose that caused respiratory depression, leading to a heart attack, which did him in. They were also able to determine that the victim did not inject themselves.”

Chloe breathed out heavily, her most recent sip turning to tar in her mouth. “So, we’re either looking at an accident or a murder then.”

Dan raised an eyebrow at her.

“Maybe he met up with some buddies and they decided to try something new, not knowing that they didn’t get a pure product. He was dubious, so they did it for him. When he had a bad reaction and overdosed, they freaked and dumped the body.” Chloe paused, setting her cup aside. “Or, someone knew exactly what they were giving him, and conned him into thinking it wasn’t dangerous.”

He rubbed his forehead in frustration. “So, where to we go from here?”

“Contact the hospitals in the area and see if they had any other overdoses brought in, or people bringing themselves in afraid of having a bad fix. Get a warrant for the records. If this was a case a partying-gone-bad, then maybe one of his groupies freaked and brought themselves to get checked out. We’ll go from there.” She leaned back against the metal beam separating Dan’s desk from another’s, pushing her haphazard pony-tail behind her shoulder. “So, how was Trixie? She wasn’t too upset that I missed Taco Tuesday, was she?”

“No,” Dan began, turning to face her, “everything pretty much went out the window when she found the chocolate cake.”

The detective sighed in relief. She really hated disappointing her daughter, and knew that missing things was a sore spot for her, especially since it had been a major contributor to their separation.

“Where, uh, where were you last night that you couldn’t come?”

Chloe felt hair cheeks grow hot and her shoulders drew up tight, growing flustered and trying to get control of herself. “I was,” she took a breath and cleared her throat, “I was working on the case. Yeah. I thought that maybe I’d missed something, so I wanted to go over it again to be sure. There was nothing though. So.” She was probably the most unsubtle person on the planet.

“You okay there Chlo..? If I didn’t know any better, I’d think that you went on a date or something.” He laughed awkwardly.

When she didn’t answer right away, his face fell. “Were you?”

“No!” She was quick to deny it this time. “No. Like I said, I was working on the case. And then afterwards I met up with some… friends.”

“Friends. Right.”

Chloe twisted her mouth twist in irritation. “Yes Dan, my friends. And even if it was a date, you hardly have any authority on that.”

“Oh really? Because last I checked, we are still married, and meant to be _working on it_.”

“What exactly are we fighting for, Dan? We both need to put our jobs and Trixie first. Our last few dates, all we’ve talked about is work. We just – we don’t have a spark anymore Dan.”

“I still love you! Does that mean nothing? I _love_ you! Show some compassion, Chloe, we were both at fault!”

Chloe’s eyes were hard, but slowly she dropped her defensive position. “Look, Dan. I care about you. I always will. Just… not in that way. Not anymore.”

She stood and grabbed her mug and the file, moving away from him.

“I think it’s time for us to finalize our divorce.”

With that she returned quickly to her desk, resolutely looking through the file even though she knew there would be nothing new to find.


	5. Devil Take the Hindmost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at that! A chapter in a timely manner! Aaaaaand what's this? A max chapter number! I OFFICIALLY have this entire story outlined, and an ending (beginning??) settled on. I started this project with a clear character mirror for each person, but I've found that, for the sake of the plot, some characters need their own deal. I hope you all like what I come up with.
> 
> The title for this chapter diverges from the rest, as it is not from Phantom of the Opera. It's actually from the lesser-known sequel, Love Never Dies. Which is a guilty pleasure for me, but no one else seems to like. I highly recommend looking up the playlist if you've never heard the music from it, especially "Til I Hear you Sing" and "Devil take the Hindmost."
> 
> Also, I adore Trixie and I'm so excited to see her in the upcoming season. So sassy.

If ever it is desired to make life harder than it already is, one must only make things awkward with their ex.

At least, that’s what Chloe would say if someone were to ask her.

The air was humid as she made her way back to her Dodge from dropping off Trixie’s bird report. She had forgotten it on the kitchen table when leaving for her dad’s the night before, the atmosphere so icy that Chloe’s biggest concern was having Dan leave as soon as possible. It had been weeks since her outburst to finalize their divorce, and things hadn’t been the same since. Once cordial and friendly, they would now be lucky to earn the label of anything higher than co-parents. She sighed and got into the car, happy to be enveloped by the AC that had been running. Despite their personal awkwardness, Dan had come through with a lead for their case. A girl had been brought to the ER for drug-related symptoms that matched John, which could lead them catching their killer. However, the girl had since been discharged, and so Chloe headed to her home address.

Though the drive was uneventful, her thoughts were anything but. Her personal life was ruined in some aspects and had improved in others. Finally, though, there was a silverlining: she may just solve this case. It had been harder than usual to get LA Regional Hospital to release the records, as the girl turned out to be a minor. It felt like the warrants took forever to sign. After finding that they’d had a match, she then had to get the permission of the girl’s guardians to speak with her. Long story short, it was a process that Chloe never hoped to repeat.

She pulled into a parking spot lined along the street and made her way to the door. She was greeted there by a young boy and led inside.

Seeing the girl pulled at Chloe’s heart. She was young, at least fifteen, a few years younger than their victim. The girl appeared very timid, not at all the picture of a regular user if her carefully kept nails and hair and skin were anything to go by. She clearly took care of herself.

Chloe sat on the couch adjacent to the girl, taking in the room. The house appeared to belong to a middle-class family, the furniture antique but of nice quality. Everything seemed to be of average or better make, so this wasn’t a case of poverty either. The detective turned to the girl and smiled at her reassuringly.

“Hi. I’m detective Chloe Decker. I had a look at your records, and I think that you could really help me with solving my current case. Your name is Meg, yes?”

The timid girl nodded, offering a small smile.

“Okay, Meg. I just have a few questions, and then I’ll get out of your hair. Can you tell me about the night of March 21st?” Chloe folded her hands over her lap and waited patiently as the girl drew into herself. It was clear that she was uncomfortable, but also that she was trying to put together what to say. As long as she was cooperative, Chloe was willing to wait.

“Um, yeah. I’m not very popular in school, you know? Not many friends. None except for Jo-“ she stopped and swallowed audibly, her eyes becoming glassy and shoulders hitching tighter, “John. We were the outcasts at school. So, I tried to make a different kind of life for myself online. Meet new people, a place to be someone new, recreate myself. I met this guy on there. He’s older, 20, so I didn’t tell my family about him. But I told John. I thought that I was being safe enough doing that.”

When she paused and made to move to continue, Chloe gently prompted her, “and this guy. Did you ever meet up with him?”

“That night was the first time. We’d been talking for almost a year at that point, so I thought it would be okay. But John didn’t think so. He warned me not to go, but I wouldn’t listen. So, he decided to come with me. I told my grandparents that I was going over to his house for the night, and then we went to the other guy’s house a few hours after that. There were other people there, but they didn’t seem to mind. We were invited in, no one treated us differently for being different. Everything was normal; we had fun! But then… then things changed. My friend I’d been talking to brought out a little baggy of white powder. Said that he wanted to try put his new score. John didn’t want to, but I didn’t listen. I let him give me the heroin, and convinced John to let him do it to him to. But he gave John more than me. Said he could handle it better as a man. Everything was fine for 20 minutes or so. I wasn’t very coherent, so I recall everything too well.”

Chloe nodded and motioned for her to keep going.

But then… then John seemed like he couldn’t breathe. No one else really seemed to care, like they thought he was over-reacting. But then he actually wasn’t breathing, and everyone started to panic. My friend said that he’d take him to the hospital. But when he came back, I could just tell something was off. I texted my brother the address, and he picked me up and took me in. The day after, I asked them how my friend was. And they said he’d never been brought in…” She began crying here, silently, think droplets gliding down her cheeks. “It’s my fault he’s dead.”

Reaching across to lay her hand over one of the girl’s, Chloe couldn’t help but feel sympathetic. “Meg, I know this is hard, but you can still help John. I need you to give me this guy’s name, and his address.”

Meg sniffled and nodded, showing Chloe the address on her phone and taking a deep breath. “He told me his name is Armand Moncharmin, but he could have been lying to me.”

“Thank you, Meg. This will help a lot.” Chloe stood then to leave, nodding at who she assumed was the girl’s brother.

Back in her car, Chloe took a deep breath. It was nearing one, and she still needed to make the arrest, question the suspect, and go through the paperwork. She still had a long day ahead of her.

\-----

It was close to 8:30pm by the time Chloe finally made it home. She dismissed the babysitter and gave her a little extra cash for staying late. Her shoes were barely off of her feet when suddenly there was the exclamation of “MOMMY!” and a weight thrown against her legs.

She laughed softly and threaded her hand through her daughter’s hair. “Trixie, babe, at least let me get my other shoe off.”

The small brunette let go, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet. She was already dressed for bed, and when Chloe crouched for a hug, her breath smelt like her bubblegum-flavored toothpaste. “How was work? Did you catch the bad guy?”

“Yes monkey, we did. Is your homework done?”

“Yes! Ms. Giry helped me finish it!”

Chloe tickled the small girl and kisses her cheek. “Good. Let’s get you into bed sweetheart, you have school tomorrow.”

After two stories and twice as many goodnight kisses, Chloe left her, leaving her door slightly cracked. Going into the kitchen, she finished the dishes leftover from Trixie’s snack time and heated herself a microwave meal for one. She settled down to eat it, tucking into the subpar meal while the apartment devolved into near silence. It was a welcome atmosphere, after the chaos of the day.

“Come now detective, you can’t be enjoying that.”

She jumped, nearly knocking the half-finished meal off the kitchen island where she sat. “I am seriously going to put a cat bell on you.”

“Oh, kinky! I didn’t know you had it in you!”

Blushing, Chloe quickly finished her food and threw away the container it had been in, washing her fork. “Seriously,” she remarked as she worked, “do you have secret tunnels that you use to get around?”

He was now leaning against the seat she’d vacated, a small tube of Oreos in his hands. He was currently licking the crumbs of one off his thumb, his eyes alight with mischief. “Only under LUX. They were built there during Prohibition. Howard Hughes used to use them to sneak his mistresses away from his other mistresses. Quite a lot of fun, I assure you.”

The detective rolled her eyes at him and dried her hands with a nearby towel.

“Anyways, as much as I love talking about hidden orifices, I came by to ask about the case. Did you catch the little miscreant?”

“Yeah, we did. But, he took a plea deal. He’ll get less time since he’s going to help narcotics get his dealer. It’s sad, really. A girl just wanted to be accepted, and it led to her best friend dying.” Chloe frowned, pensive.

“Well perhaps if she hadn’t been casted out for her differences, things would have been different.” His voice had a new edge to it, lacking the usual airy quality that she new him so well for. Chloe joined him at the island, their shoulders barely brushing together as she reclaimed her seat. He straightened and took the seat beside her, stare intently at nothing. He fiddled with his ring, twisting it round and round his finger. Chloe dropped her hand over his, stilling the movement, though he wouldn’t meet her eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“Where should I start,” he began somberly, “with the greatest fall of all time?” He sighed, and Chloe was sure that she’d hear no more when he continued, voice soft. “All I ever want was the freedom to be my own person, detective. To have charge over my life. Dear old dad, couldn’t have that though; he heeded all his little soldiers in line. I was shamed into solitude. And, when I tried to take a stand, I was shunned by the multitude of my family and cast out of our home. No one would listen to me, hear me out as to why.” He smiled, but it was bitter, his eyes remaining dull and sad, anger burning softly behind them. “That’s why I listen, to people’s requests and desires. Since… No one ever listened to mine.”

He was quiet then, contemplative, until his eyes became soft as he turned to look at her. Chloe dared to call them tender.

“No one but you, of course.”

She smiled at him then, pleasantly surprised with his openness with her. Brushing her thumb over his, Chloe became aware that they were both shifting forwards, eyelids drooped and lips parted. Just a few more inches, and they would – 

“Did you send me to bed so that you could have a date?”

Chloe jerked so hard that she lipped from the stool, landing harshly on her butt. Her face was scarlet and burning with embarrassment. “ _Trix_ , what’re you doing up?”

“I wanted to get a glass of water.” She leered at her mom, smiling cheekily at her, “buuut it looks like you were thirstier.”

Then Lucifer was there, a hand proffered between them to help her up. She took it and stood as he looked to Trixie: “who is this little spawn?”

“My name is Beatrice. But everyone calls me Trixie.”

“That’s a hooker’s name.” Chloe slapped his shoulder and moved away from him.

“What’s a hooker?” The little girl tilted her head adorably, dearly confused.

The Devil grinned. “Ask your mother.”

As if this wasn’t enough to shatter their moment, at that moment there came a knock at the door. Chloe was caught off guard as Dan let himself in, and all of a sudden it became clear: she had told him to come by tonight to sign the divorce papers that had finally come in the mail. Caught off guard, she said the first thing that came to mind, “ask your dad.”

And so, Dan entered the apartment, only to be met with his estranged wife, a man that he had never seen before, and his daughter asking, “daddy, what’s a hooker?”

Dan’s gaze immediately snapped up to Lucifer’s, completely ignoring his daughter’s question. “You must be Chloe’s new _friend_.”

Lucifer held his ground, his body language relaxed as if viewing the shorter man as anything but a threat. “We’re partners, yes. And who might you be?”

“Her husband.”

The tension could have been cut with a knife. Chloe took Trixie’s hand and led her to the stairs. “Go upstairs Monkey. The adults need to have an unfun conversation now. Stay in my room.”

When the girl was gone, Chloe turned icily to Dan, swiping the papers off the desk as she walked by it. She thrust them at him with a pen. “ _EX_ -husband.”

“He’s the reason that you decided to call it quits? Really Chloe? I expected more from you.”

Lucifer beat her to a rebuttal, straightening and making himself appear even taller, “Excuse me, detective Douche, but I believe that Chloe is doing just fine, and didn’t ask for your input. Those papers should speak for themselves on exactly where you can shove your opinions.”

The smaller man’s features twisted in rage and Chloe realized that, if she didn’t want Trixie to be affected by this, she was going to have to step in. She turned to Lucifer, hoping that he could sense to apology in her voice. “Lucifer, I think that you should go.”

She immediately regretted her choice of words when she saw the hurt flash in his eyes; but just as quickly as it had come, it was gone. “Yes, of course _detective_. Wouldn’t want to get in your way. If you’ll excuse me.” He shouldered past Dan, nearly wrenching the man from his spot, and he was gone.

\-----

The balcony of the penthouse opened out into the rest of the city, the cars far below more resembling ribbons of different colored lights that vessels of transportation. The buildings across the way still had lights on in their windows here and there. Lucifer had specifically chosen this s his living space so that he could look out at those lights and pretend they were the stars he’d been torn away from. You couldn’t see the stars in Los Angeles, too much light pollution covering the sky for that to ever be possible. Maze stared out at those very lights now, trying and failing not to seethe in anger. She had come to fetch Lucifer and bring him to his booth, only to find him gone.

Again.

Ever since that damned detective had come around, her entire life had become uprooted. She snarled and whipped her glass into the air in front of her, watching as it glinted in the air and descended into the near darkness below. There was no point to remaining here on Earth, when life had become pointless. She missed when everyday was either a party or a punishment to carry out any way that she saw fit. The demon stalked back into the penthouse, looking around at her master’s trinkets and artifacts. At the far corner sat a mask and she stepped over to it, taking it in hand. She fingered the edges of it, white and fine. It would only cover half of her face, cutting it down the middle. As she stood there, gazing at the unfinished façade, she knew that it was time. That Lucifer had been on Earth for far too long, and had become distracted as a result.

It was time to go back to Hell, by any means and bodies necessary.

\-----

“Just sign the papers and go, Dan. I can’t believe that you would pull something like that with Trixie right upstairs.”

“Me?” He asked incredulous, the papers still hanging loosely in his hands. “You’re the one having strange men over with her in the house!”

Chloe ran a hand over her face, beyond annoyed and exhausted. “It was a surprise, Dan! I didn’t know that he was coming tonight, otherwise I wouldn’t have asked you here. I’m not a complete idiot, despite what you believe.”

The fight left him then, and he deflated with a bone-deep sigh. “I don’t think that, Chlo.”

“Please. It’s late, I have to go in early tomorrow. Please just sign and go.”

He stood there for a moment, seeming like he might say something else. But then he went to the desk, quickly signing through the papers and leaving in a huff.

The slam of the door was softer than it had been when Lucifer walked out, but it felt no less final. Chloe slumped against the couch, angry at no one and everyone, before going upstairs. She found Trixie asleep in her bed, and quickly went through the movements of putting on her own pajamas and brushing her teeth. Curling around her daughter, she went over everything that had happened that day, and couldn’t help but wish that her dad was there. He would know what to do. Wishing she could hear his voice again, knowing that she never would, just to get some clarity.

No use in thinking about it now. The bridges had been crossed, all she could do now was stand and watch them burn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I personally really love "No One Would Listen," a solo song by the Phantom that was cut from the 2004 movie. I also recommend giving this a listen!
> 
> And yes, Dan is very douchey here. I'm personally not a fan of his, but I do hope that he gets a happy ending, for Trixie's sake.
> 
> I beta my own work, any mistakes are mine. Leave a kudos and comment if you enjoy!!


	6. Magical Lasso

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I meant to have this chapter up earlier, but dear old dad himself must have wanted me to spend a little time reworking it, since he knocked out my power. I'm happy with the revisions though, so I hope you enjoy them too! And, as if to make up for it, this chapter is nearly twice as a long as the rest.
> 
> I beta my work - any mistakes are mine! Please leave a comment and kudos if you enjoy.

Ella was excited.

She loved working at LUX, truly she did: meeting new people every night, hearing their life stories and dreams – what more could she ask for? Despite her employment being the result of paying off a debt, she couldn’t find it in herself to be anything but grateful. Before Lucifer, her main life skills had included stealing cars and the lock-picking necessary for the success of her job. It may have paid well, but the inherent danger of robbing rich white-collar men and women, and greasy gang leaders alike, left something to be desired. Now her life was stable, full of friends, and an endless sea of fun. Yes, she loved working at LUX – but nothing about it enthralled her so much as the themed parties that they threw every now and then.

It had only been a week since The Devil had sauntered down to the main floor, more radiant than she had ever seen him. And that was saying something, considering his brightness since the arrival of Chloe into their lives. It had been nearly a year, and everyone felt her presence like a fluttering heartbeat, breathing warmth and life into the club night or day. Chloe’s birthday was coming up, he’d said, and he was hell-bent on holding a party for her there.

As Ella closed the door to the underground passageways behind her, she gave a little “whoop!” and pumped her fist. She had always wanted to attend a masquerade! The gowns and suits, the mystique, the drama! Well, she was certain that suits would be replaced with jeans and the gowns with sparkling dresses that barely reached mid-thigh, but she figured that it was close enough.

The tunnels creeped her out to the max, but they were the only way to get to the alcohol storage. More specifically, the wine. Lucifer insisted that their detective received only the finest red that he had, aged to perfection and pleasantly smooth on the tongue. Ella ran her hand along the grimy wall, mentally chanting to herself that cobwebs didn’t equal spiders and that no, those weren’t extra footsteps behind her. The smell of must was heavy here, as it was with all basement-like areas, and the small Latina sneezed, listening as it echoed down the hall. Grab the wine, and get out. That’s all she had to do.

Except, as she toed open the wooden door to the store-room, Ella screamed as she was met with something she hadn’t expected. 

Or rather, someone

\-----

As Chloe made her way to LUX, sirens blaring and speedometer pushed further than she usually allowed, she couldn’t help but feel somewhat violated. Which was ridiculous, as the case really didn’t have anything to do with her. The many months spent at the club, however, had led her to think of it as a second home, and the people to feel like her family. When Ella had called her, rambling in Spanish and hysterical, Chloe had all but ran from the precinct and to her car. Dan was currently in the seat beside her, his knee jerking up and down in his usual nervous tick. There was something wrong, but Chloe was too preoccupied with worry for her friend to ask.

Finally arriving at LUX took some of the weight off her shoulders, but just barely. She made her way through the building, across the dance floor, and over to where Lucifer wait for her. He looked grim and agitated, and she couldn’t blame him.

“Detective, there you are! Driving like a grandma again were we?”

“No, Lucifer, of course not. I got here as fast as I could.” She couldn’t quite keep the offense out of her tone.

Lucifer sighed, running a hand through his already-stress-mussed hair, and let his shoulders droop. “You’ll have to forgive me for being on edge, detective. That someone would do this in my own home is rather nerve-wracking.”

Before she knew it, her hand was reaching out and squeezing firmly at his shoulder. “I’ll take care of this. Whoever it is that did this, we’ll catch them.”

He offered her a soft smile before it soured at the sight of Dan entering the building, taking his sweet time. “Did you have to bring the douche?”

“I wasn’t allowed to leave without someone to back me up, in case things were still dangerous.”

He only nodded. Once Dan had joined them, Lucifer opened the door, escorting Chloe through with a hand low on her back and letting the door swing to a close on Dan’s hip. Chloe’s detective brain went into hyper-drive, taking in everything about the tunnels. There were a few places here and there that created crevices, places to easily hide and remain unseen. Given that they were originally built to hide illicit activities, she wasn’t surprised. Despite the dust and webs and must, the area seemed relatively clean, no worse than her own storage unit. It couldn’t have taken longer than ten minutes when they arrived at a worn wooden door, though it felt like much longer. There, they greeted Linda and Ella, the latter being held and calmed by the former. The trio headed inside, the low light of the halogen lamps giving way to a slightly brighter room. Bottles of wine lined the shelves, all having expensive brands printed on their labels, some having been aging for decades. And there, laying in the middle of the room, was the thing that had made Ella panic.

The man, sprawled across the stone floor, appeared to be in his early fifties. His eyes bulged slightly from their sockets, and his nails were cracked and bent and bloody, small strings from the rope caught in them, a clear sign of his struggle to live. A small puddle of drool pooled on the floor beneath him, soaking into the fibers of the rope that was till stuck around his neck. Chloe’s mind immediately ruled out a suicide, though to some it would have been the obvious assumption. First, the rope was wholly intact, showing that his body hadn’t been cut down from the rafters. Looking up, she found that there was no indication of the rope ever having contact with the rafters in the first place. There was also no sign of a stool or anything similar. This was clearly a murder, one of passion and convenience.

Her thoughts were disrupted by Lucifer, who had finally entered the room after comforting Ella. “Well I’ll be re-damned!”

Chloe turned to face him, raising a brow. “Do you recognize this man?”

“I don’t know him personally, but he’s been known to hang around outside LUX after hours, asking for different waitresses or dancers. He’s been blacklisted and reported on more than one occasion. But he shouldn’t have been here last night, LUX was closed to prepare for your party.”

Her cheeks burned, and suddenly she was glad for the low light of the room. “Who all was here last night?”

“Only myself and Mazikeen, that I know of.”

Chloe nodded, alarm bells ringing in her head that she stead-fastly chose to ignore. “Okay. We’ll need to get a team out here so that we can get an approximate time of death. For now, I need you and Ella to come with me to the station for questioning.” She and Lucifer made their way out of the room, where Chloe gently extricated Ella from Linda and informed Dan of her plan. His nod of ascension was distracted, and Chloe knew that there had to be something on his mind, but that there wasn’t time to figure out what.

As Chloe and the others made their way back to LUX’s main floor, Dan stared at the foot of the man laying on the ground, heart pounding in his chest.

Maze hadn’t told him about this part of the plan.

\-----

If Chloe thought that bringing Lucifer and Ella in for questioning would solve her problems, it did the exact opposite.

Ella had only further confirmed that Lucifer was the only person in LUX last night, explaining that Maze had been staying at a friend’s house for the past week. She didn’t know who the friend was, but was sure that Maze would be more than willing to give Chloe the information. Unfortunately, Lucifer was currently the only person with motive, opportunity, and no alibi that would place him elsewhere during the night. She turned Ella loose to Linda, the girl looking overwhelmed and haunted, and she now sat with Lucifer alone in the interrogation room. “You’re aware of what this looks like, aren’t you?”

He looked at her, aghast. “You can’t possibly think that it was me, detective. Even if I wanted to kill the little creep, it isn’t allowed! I have _never_ killed a human, and I never plan to. Surely, you can’t possibly believe that it was me, after everything I’ve done to help?”

His eyes shone with outrage and a desperation. He was clearly weary of her response. Lucifer was good at putting on a mask for his audience, a perfect masquerade of endless confidence and charm. Over the months however, Chloe had come to learn to see under the façade that he portrayed, defenses giving way to an individual that urgently wanted to be liked and to do a good job. She heaved a sigh and rested her hand over his, stilling the twitch of his fingers. “Of course I don’t, Lucifer, but this isn’t my call. I’m too close to the investigation, I’ll be shocked if they don’t pull me from it and put another detective on. All I can do is try to convince them of your innocence.” The Devil let his gaze fall to the table then, and Chloe squeezed his hand before joining her lieutenant in the viewing room.

“He didn’t do it lieutenant.”

They watched as Lucifer was led out by another cop, and instructed to go home but to stay within the city. “Do you have proof of that, or are you just soft on your friend?”

“He _wouldn’t_ do it. I know him; you have to trust me on this.”

“I don’t have to do anything, Decker. You’re clearly too involved in this to do things properly. You’re off the case, and I’m putting detective Espinosa in your place. He seems to think Mr. Morningstar entirely capable of this crime, as well as being our only other suspect’s alibi-“

“I’m sorry, _what?_ Dan is Maze’s alibi?”

“Last I checked, his personal life wasn’t any of your concern.” He left her then, staring at the empty seat where Lucifer had once sat. There had to be something to prove Lucifer’s innocence, she just needed to find proof.

\-----

“Yes, sir, I understand. No sir, I will make sure to wrap up this case quickly: I’ve found new evidence to prove that Lucifer Morningstar was at the scene of the crime. Speak with you soon.”

Dan ended the phone call and looked at the woman sitting on his couch, slowly sharpening a knife. When she had come to him a week earlier with a plan to get Lucifer out of his wife’s life for good, and she out of hers in return, he hadn’t hesitated very long before saying yes. Now though, with an innocent man’s proverbial blood on his hands, he was beginning to sincerely regret that decision. Lucifer had only left the precinct hours ago, but there was now a warrant out for his arrest. However, Maze was insistent on having things done her way, and he glared at her where she sat.

“When you told me that we were going to ruin his life, you didn’t tell me that it involved an innocent man being killed.”

She looked at him like he was far beneath her and especially stupid. “That’s because it didn’t, dill-weed. That was just a happy coincidence. And, helpful!”

“Someone dying is _helpful_?”

“Well, yeah! Before, our plan only ensured that Chloe would never want anything to do with Lucifer. This way, we can make sure he stays away too!”

He dropped down into the chair in front of her, rubbing his forehead in distress. “And how exactly are we going to do that?” His hands folded together as he looked to her, expectant and annoyed. Anxious.

“You’re in charge of the investigation now, right?” He nodded and she continued. “Then we stage the scene. Let the party at LUX continue, and have Chloe arrest him there. What do you call it? A sting operation?”

“You want me to manipulate my wife into betraying her… Lucifer?”

“You’re really slow, you know that?” She stood and grabbed an apple, slicing into it and licking the piece from her knife. “After that, everything else will be too easy. Just trust me on this. Soon, both of us will get what we want.”

Dan kept his eyes glued firmly to the carpet, suddenly unsure. He hadn’t thought much about how this would all actually affect Chloe. On the other hand, he had to protect her, and their daughter; Lucifer wasn’t a good person, he knew that in his soul. The world would be better off with him gone. And, if Chloe couldn’t forgive him, well… it’s not like she could divorce him twice.

\-----

Chloe stared at herself in the mirror.

Dan had called her earlier that day, explaining that they had further evidence of Lucifer being the culprit and explaining the plan to arrest him during her party. She was being used as a pawn to bring down the man that she…

The man that she what?

She couldn’t deny that she cared a profound amount for Lucifer. And, deep in her heart, she knew that he was innocent. However, she couldn’t risk her job by not being a team player. If she wanted to prove that he was innocent, she would need to play the waiting game and investigate on her own. Her reflection, as it stared back at her, seemed to be silently judging her. She didn’t blame it. This could very well be the end of their whatever-this-was. There had to be some way for her to let him know that she was still on his side, despite her involvement. Her eyes burned as she stared down at the mask in her hands. Only days ago, Lucifer had presented her with the dress, an elegant burgundy to match some of the stripes on his mask. Her mask, which had come in the mail that morning, was black and intricate, almost lace in its making. Outside, a limo waited for her to take her to the party and she made her way down on unsteady feet.

She tried and failed to convince herself that the swooping in her stomach was from the high-heels.

\-----

LUX was in full swing when she arrived, and as Chloe made her way inside, she couldn’t help but feel even more guilty for what was about to happen. The whole of the main floor had been transformed, swaths of gold and white fabric making the place seem otherworldly and divine. Fairy lights twinkled from all around her, lighting up the dancefloor with manmade stars. The tables were covered in golden table cloths, the waitresses and waiters matching. Even the dancers, despite their small amount of clothing, fit into the scene; Lucifer must have paid a fortune. She continued inside, smiling at the bouncers she knew so well, and stopped in her tracks when she saw him. Lucifer was at his normal booth, wearing a suit the color soot and an undershirt the color of rich wine that matched her dress perfectly. The mask, white with golden horns and red accents, managed to capture his handsomeness and mischievous demeanor all in one, and Chloe took a moment to take him in. To anyone else, he would look relaxed, lounging against the booth as if he hadn’t a care in the world. But Chloe could see through it, could tell that he was holding himself tight with anticipation. As soon as he took notice of her, he stood, making his way over with the soft swish of his pants. He gazed down at her, though she couldn’t see his eyes through the black material covering them. “My my detective. You look positively ravishing.” Offering his elbow, he led her into the fray. She briefly waved at Ella and Linda as they made their way back to his booth. There they sat together, drinking in the presence of one another.

“I’ll be sending your lieutenant my regards for allowing the masquerade to continue. Would he prefer a subscription to receive a different jam every month, or concert tickets?”

She laughed, but was immediately reminded of why she was actually there. Chloe quickly sobered and attempted to scoot away from where she was pressed into his side.

If Lucifer noticed, he didn’t mention it. Instead, he took his hand in hers. “Will you wait here for me darling? I believe I left your present in my other coat.” He pressed a kiss to her knuckles and stood, making his way to the elevator.

She couldn’t do this. Chloe took out her phone, shooting off a text to Dan that she couldn’t and wouldn’t arrest Lucifer like this. That it was cruel. There was a chime a moment later, as if he’d been anticipating her message.

_Dan: Just get him on the dance floor then. That should be easy enough for you._

Chloe didn’t have time to respond before Lucifer was making his way back to her. He rejoined her in the booth, holding out a small parcel wrapped with a blue ribbon. “Happy birthday, detective.”

She took the box from him and undid the ribbon, opening it with shaking hands. Inside lay a simple golden chain, a single golden pendant hanging from it. “Lucifer, it’s beautiful… what is it?”

“It’s the bullet, from when Jimmy Barnes shot you.” His eyes were soft, the ghost of their past playing in warm chocolate. “The beginning of our lovely partnership, if you will. Allow me to put it on for you.”

The detective did, but only so that she could turn her face away from his. If he were able to see her, he would know that guilty tears had sprung to her eyes, self-hatred burning in her irises. How could she have been so stupid, to think that her standing as a cop was worth this? This wasn’t something that her dad would be proud of, tricking someone into their own demise. This wasn’t why she had joined the force. There was still time to fix it; all she needed to do was to keep him off the dance floor.

However, as the evening wore on, Chloe found it more and more impossible to deny the request. She feigned anxiety of being the center of attention, and he acquiesced, instead bringing her to the piano and teaching her the basics. Chloe heaved a sigh of relief when, finally, the party came to an end and people filed out of the building, leaving only she and Lucifer behind. He turned to her then, removing his mask. “Chloe,” his voice was soft, and she realized with a shock that that was the first time he’d used her name rather than her title, “now that everyone is gone and therefore no one is here to witness your dancing, would you honor me with your presence on the floor?”

Chloe looked around and realized that there really was no denying him now. Besides, what were the chances that something would happen now that the party had ended? She smiled at him: “okay, Lucifer. One dance.” He led her to the dance floor, their elbows linked, and his smile was dazzling. Bringing a small remote out of his pocket, he clicked a button and the music began, the lighting fading to a hazy glow. He gave an ostentatious bow and she laughed, curtsying in turn. Lucifer wrapped his arms around her, his hands resting warmly against her lower back, and she wrapped hers around his neck, the heels nearly bringing her above his shoulder. The Devil was only awkward for a moment before he pulled her in close. Chloe rested her head against his chest swayed with him to the music, enjoying herself despite the circumstances. The world around them melted away to nothing, her fingers splaying over his nape and playing with the curls there as they danced. When the song ended, they pulled apart, but just barely. She gazed into his warm brown eyes and knew with certainty that she loved him.

“Lucifer, I-“

There was a soft click from behind her, and she noticed that his hands were no longer hanging languidly at her waist.

“Lucifer Morningstar, you’re under arrest for the murder of Raoul Chagny. You have the right to remain…” The rest of the Miranda Rights faded away as she saw the warmth in his eyes turn to cold recognition when there was no surprise to be found in her own.

“You knew this was going to happen, detective? You set me up?” There was indignant anger there, warranted and deserved. But then he seemed to deflate, as if he were a marionette cut from his strings. His voice was soft and broken when said again, “me?”

“Lucifer, no, you have to believe me. I didn’t want this. I never _wanted_ this!”

“You could have fooled me, _detective_.” In flash he wrenched himself away from her, the handcuffs broken around his wrists. He backed away from her was far as he could before he paused, staring at her. There was no description for the look in his eyes other than utter betrayal and she had to look away from their intensity. “Lucifer, please-“

– but when she looked up, he was gone, nowhere to be found.

\-----

It had been hours. Hours and hours of pouring through the small case file trying to find something, anything, to prove that Lucifer was innocent. There was barely anything at all, actually. It was as if it had been kept purposefully cut and dry. But… hadn’t Dan said that he had evidence against Lucifer? Why wasn’t it reported, or logged? The longer that Chloe focused on that fact, the more she remembered that Dan was also Maze’s alibi. Something was wrong here; she needed to get back to the crime scene to take another look around.

\-----

Lucifer knew that the only way he was going to prove his innocence was to find something at the murder scene that proved someone else was guilty. He was currently walking through the tunnels, hair untamed from tugging at it in his anguish and eyes glassy, knowing that finding evidence was his only shot at keeping LUX. “What’s the bloody point?” He whispered to himself. His heart ached. Absently, he rubbed a hand over his chest, continuing on his way. How could the detective do this to him? He had thought that they were past the mistrust, that they had built a friendship.

Even that they had built something more, perhaps.

But he was wrong. She’d used his emotions against him; let him become vulnerable before she’d taken her strike. If he wasn’t on the receiving end of her deception, he’d be impressed at her cunning. But instead, as he lumbered down the passageway, he only felt betrayal.

Lucifer was drawn out of his thoughts by the sound of a struggle, and quickly made his way down to the fateful wine cellar where it had come from. In Raoul’s place was none other than detective douche, strung up against a pole by his neck and wrists. Behind him, Maze wore the mask that designated her as a Lilim, a mask he hadn’t seen in centuries.

“Mazikeen, what are you doing?”

“Not another step Lucifer, or the human will hang.” To prove her point, Maze tugged on her end of the rope, Dan’s head snapping up and smacking against the pole.

Lucifer froze in his tracks, staring at her. As much as he disliked the sod, he was the father of the detective’s spawn; and though he wasn’t fond of children, he refused to go out of his way to hurt one. 

Suddenly he began laughing, just short of a sob and toeing over the line of unhinged. “Now, the detective I understand. We’ve only known each other a year, but _you_ Mazikeen? We’ve fought together for a millennium, and this is how I’m repaid? With your betrayal as well? What have I done to deserve _this_ on top of everything else?”

The demon glared at him, her grip never loosening. “As if you don’t know! Ever since that stupid human came along, all you have cared about is _her_! What about _ME?!_ ” There were angry tears in her eyes now and she viciously wiped them away, once again tugging the rope in the process. “No more. No more, Lucifer, I refuse to come second. We’re going back to Hell.” Lucifer stared at her for a moment, his brow creasing. “Why would I ever want go back there?”

“Why would you stay here? It’s not like your precious Chloe actually cares for you.”

“How do you know about that?” His shoulders tensed and drew up around his ears, fury and hurt beginning to bubble behind his eyes.

She laughed, high and delighted. “ _Know_ about it? I orchestrated it! The murder wasn’t part of the plan, but it certainly helped things along. I’m so glad I gave Cassie my key. Once the case was in Dan’s hands, I made sure that Chloe would be the one to get you. I worried for a second that maybe she’d choose you over her job, but clearly that wasn’t the case. Poor Luci. Not good enough for daddy, not good enough for the little humans, and definitely not good enough for insignificant Chloe Decker.” 

Her grin was venomous. “What does that say about you?”

Lucifer’s breathing was ragged, his hands balled into tight fists at his sides. It felt like his blood was boiling in his veins. Maybe it was. He didn’t feel it when his eyes shifted from brown to blood red and blistered with hell fire. He didn’t feel it as his skin charred and burned, till it became deep red and garish, marred with badly healed wounds. He didn’t hear it as Dan bemoaned his agreement to work with Maze to ruin Lucifer’s life, nor his sharp panicked inhale as the change began. No, he didn’t hear any of this. He was somewhere far away, teetering on the edge of consciousness, quickly succumbing to his rage.

Everything came crashing down around him when he heard her sharp intake of breath. He whipped around to face her, vermillion and scarred and ugly, and there she was, gaze locked onto him. In that moment, all of his wrath melted away, replaced by confusion.

“Detective?”

She was there, standing in the doorway. She was there, and then she wasn’t. All he could do was watch as she turned, hand held over her mouth, and ran like the devil was nipping at her heels.

Afterall, it’s not as if she was wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know what else to say except that I'm sorry. One more chapter to go, stick with me!


	7. Grand Finale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are! A day late, but I really needed to perfect the final scene, and I'm happy with it. I've also been selling jewelry to make up for lost work, so that's been stealing my time too.
> 
> I beta everything myself, so anything wrong is my fault!

“That was two weeks ago. We haven’t seen or heard from either of them since.”

Beside her, Maze threw back the rest of the bottle, gulping down a good fifth of the remaining liquid. Ella lounged into her side, dozing, snuffling at her hair. Linda had an arm around her to ensure that the younger girl didn’t tumble sideways out of the booth. Their shot glasses had all been filled and refilled… and refilled and finished long ago. Across from her, Eleanor Bloom had the grace to at least look entertained, though still no less resilient. “Wow, how enticing! A will-they-won’t-they story that ends in what is basically rejection. Devastating. However, it won’t stop me from demolishing this hell-hole into dirt and building my mega mall.”

Ella lifted her head from Linda’s shoulder to glare at her, but it was far from threatening. “That’s because your heart froze over when you hit 40.” She plopped her head back to its comfortable resting place and turned it into the petite blonde’s hair in dismissal.

That got a reaction from the business woman. She stood with a huff and beckoned for her assistant to join her out the door. She wouldn’t be missed. Maze lifted her legs onto the cushioned bench below her and pushed herself backwards out of her seat, stalking away. Linda sighed and resigned herself to be there awhile longer, Ella snoring into her neck.

\-----

Slowly, the city of angels devolved into darkness. To anyone else, it seemed the city itself was going to sleep; but the true natives new that only now was it truly waking up. Traffic, usually steady and calm, became a serpent. It was coiled and ready to strike, a cacophony of horns and swears enlivening the quiet evening air. Towering office buildings became individual galaxies, lighting up the night. Nightclubs filled the sidewalks with winking colors and blaring music. Across the way, the Ferris wheel sparkled into life, a beacon of joy and letting go.

Deep within Los Angeles, a small cluster of people stood holding small signs with numbers. They were a mixture of business and elegance, pantsuits and gawdy jewelry, gowns and Rolexes. Among them, Eleanor Bloom, and three young women who all looked varying shades of fed up in their t-shirt, leather, and cardigan. Leading them all was a young man, clipboard tucked in one arm and a small blonde in the other.

“This is lot #666. Formerly a boxing ring, the building has since been converted into a nightclub called LUX, with direct access to a large penthouse. The bidding will start at 75 million.”

Eleanor’s hand immediately shot up, and the bidding began from there. As the price rose and rose, Linda nervously took her cellphone from her pocket and looked through her most recent messages. She had been trying to reach Lucifer for days, but his phone was either off or he was avoiding her. It was most likely the latter. Even her plea for him to at least come and renew his lease for LUX had gone unanswered. The only thing that gave her hope was the small “read” that would appear at the bottom of her messages every now and then; at least he was alive. At one point in her life she had considered becoming a therapist. Ha. Her, a therapist. That would make an excellent sitcom, she thought. She could even have Satan as one of her patients!

Her musings were interrupted by the abrupt shout of a voice she hadn’t heard for weeks.

“Eric and Cristi Cooper, you are under arrest for the murder of Dean Cooper.”

Linda watched as Chloe and another man, Dan if she recalled, put them both in cuffs. Dan led them away while Chloe addressed the crowd. “This auction is over. Everyone needs to vacate the premises immediately.” Eleanor straightened in indignation, harshly gripping her paddle. “I will _not!_ I have been waiting for this property for years, and was granted the building just before you showed up. This property is _mine!_ She was the perfect picture of someone snapping at the seams. However, Chloe, non-plussed, simply looked to her and replied, “there has been no exchange of funds, nor is there any documentation indicating you the owner. Besides,” here, she held up a certificate Linda hadn’t seen, “LUX has been declared a heritage site by the city and cannot be demolished for any reason, including development.” Chloe grinned, and Linda quietly applauded her. “Once again, I ask you to remove yourself from the premises. If you do not, I will arrest you on grounds of trespassing and obstructing justice.”

Eleanor left in a huff, but Linda was too preoccupied to care. She looked on as Ella pounced on the detective, hugging her and thanking her, exuberant in her joy. Maze simply nodded at her, taking the certificate and heading inside. Linda returned her eyes to the phone still in her hand and began typing out a new message.

_Chloe just saved LUX. If you want to save whatever it is you’ve built with her, now is the time._

She wasn’t expecting an answer, so when the small screen lit back up in her hand, she nearly jumped despite the normalness of his message.

_Chill a bottle of red, will you? I feel that it will be necessary._

\-----  
Chloe wanted nothing more than to eat and go to bed. She opened the door to her home, fully intending on reheating some leftovers, taking a quick shower, and letting herself be dead to the world. Everything looked the same as it always had, though the faint smell of bleach was now constant. Cleaning had become a compulsion, something she needed to do to fill the time. To keep her sane. Everything gleamed, a disguise for the turmoil roiling through Chloe’s head. She felt filthy. Looking longingly at the bar stools, tucked under the breakfast counter, she wanted to go back. Back to a time when Lucifer was quirky and forward and egotistic; back to when The Devil was just a metaphor-turner-moniker. The detective longed for things to go back to normal. Yet, as she stood in the doorway of her home, staring at those chairs seating ghosts of the past, she knew that that normal had ceased to exist the second she’d seen him in the wine cellar.

As Chloe stepped inside, fully intent on her plan, something crinkled under her boot. She stepped back and starred down at what she had stepped on. There, evidently tucked under her door, was an envelope. ‘Detective’ was scrawled elegantly across the front in deep red ink. Tears welled in her eyes as she thought of Lucifer, awkwardly standing on her porch before slipping the note through the crack and leaving. Before, he wouldn’t have even bothered with a letter; he’d be sitting on her couch, acting as if he owned the place. As much as she had acted annoyed, there was a part of her that had found it endearing, as if her home had become a second one to him in their time as friends. Had she truly broken things so irrevocably?

Carefully, she picked up the envelope and turned it over in her hands. There was a thin wax seal, and Chloe was reminded that Lucifer had existed since before even this, a seemingly timeless invention. She extricated the note, the paper crisp between her fingers. The red ink continued here, and as Chloe read, soft petals of hope bloomed in her chest.

_Detective. I know that we aren’t on great terms at the moment, and I fully understand and accept that as being my fault. In any case, Linda informed me of what you did. For LUX. I would be greatly honored if you would grace me with your presence tonight, so that I may give you my thanks. If you’d rather not see me, I have included a small sum to help with the urchin’s education._

_I hope to see you, Chloe.  
~L.M._

Sure enough, still tucked into the envelop was a cheque, though ‘small’ wasn’t how she’d describe the amount written out to her. Chloe carefully placed it all back inside and set it aside. He wanted to see her. Even after the way things had gone, even though she had practically ghosted him, he wanted to see her. There was a smile lifting her cheeks as she breezed inside. She ate and showered, considering things. Devil or not, he was her friend, and she missed him. A fact. He was the literal Biblical Devil, fact. All he had ever done was help her, even if he’d irked her along the way, fact. He had driven Jimmy Barnes into a madhouse after she’d been shot, fact. He was terrifying, fact. An hour had passed by the time that she made it to her closet, where she chose her ensemble judiciously. Eventually though, pros and cons weighed, she couldn’t put it off anymore. Grabbing her keys and his note, she headed out to her car.

As she drove, the radio silent, there was no denying the greatest truth of all.

She wanted to see him too.

\-----

Pulling up to LUX was surreal.

After being gone for so long, she’d assumed that things would be different, as everything else had changed. But it seemed that the world around her had continued to turn even as her own had spiraled out of control.

She went inside, no bouncer to wave to with the club closed. Inside, Maze and Linda sat at the bar drinking, Ella nowhere in sight. The decorations that had once glittered and gilded across the walls and ceilings were gone, leaving LUX dark without the lights. What had once been bright and alive was now a chasm, waiting to swallow her up. Chloe made her way over to them first. Linda was happy to see her, though she held herself tight and poised. Maze, however, had nothing but contempt in her eyes.

“What’re you doing here?” She sneered. Linda shot her a look over her glass.

“Lucifer asked for me. I thought… I don’t know what I thought.”

Maze flashed her a look. “You thought you could handle him, and you were wrong. I always knew you were too weak for the truth.”

“ _Maze!_ ” Linda smiled at her apologetically. “When I found out, it took me a week to come back. If you’ve decided he’s worth it, you’ll get used to it. I promise. He’s in the penthouse.”

Chloe returned her smile in thanks and headed over to the elevator, heart beginning to hammer against her chest. The soft ding of the doors caused her to jump, and she made her way inside. She pressed the button for his floor, the only button, and the metal box whirred into motion. Nerves wracked through her as she was lifted up and up and up, trying and failing to think of what to say when she saw him. Soon though, all too soon, those doors were sliding open and she was greeted with the penthouse. Her eyes first went to the couch, where they’d worked together on cases as partners, and spent time together as more. Toeing her way in, things didn’t look any different; another thing that hadn’t changed while they irrevocably had. She found him sitting at the bar, hair worse for wear and gaze on an empty glass. He seemed to be miles away. All at once, she was frozen, back in a time that smelt of must as her world-view came crashing down. She couldn’t speak, she couldn’t move any farther, she was rooted to her spot just outside the lift.

Lucifer seemed to come back to himself then, her reflection just barely edging the bar. His eyes snapped up to meet hers, wide and rimmed with dark bags. She’d never seen him so undone. He stared breathlessly at her, taking in her red blouse and light-washed jeans. Her hair appeared damp, as if she’d just washed it, and her face was free of makeup.

She had never looked so beautiful.

“You came.”

The words were ripped from him, ragged and soft. It was clear that he hadn’t expected her to.

“Yeah. I did.”

They faltered awkwardly into silence, taking each other in.

Chloe was the first to speak again. “You were telling the truth. You are the _actual_ devil.”

“Always the truth detective, always. Point of pride for me.” He pours what is presumedly another glass of whiskey and sounds anything but proud. There was a bitter twinge to his voice, the line of his shoulders growing tense as he clutched the small glass. “I’m sure that you have questions. And I’ll do my best to answer them. But first, I wanted to thank you. For saving LUX, for saving my home.”

Chloe blushed, fingers wrapping and unwrapping from around her wrist. “You don’t have to thank me Lucifer. Especially after what I did to you. Your home is important to you, and I couldn’t just let it be bulldozed. Even if…” She trailed off, unsure how to continue.

“Even if I am evil incarnate.”

“No, Lucifer. I don’t believe that.” That got her feet moving, carrying her towards where he sat. “You’re not the devil, Lucifer. Not to me.”

If she thought that would calm him, she was entirely wrong. Every rigid muscle in his body snapped and the whiskey glass found itself hurtled into the wall. He was on his feet now, fists pressed into the bar and breaths heaving in great huffs of air. “You don’t get it, do you? But how could you possibly, you’ve been an atheist all your life. I’m the bloody _DEVIL!_ I was cast out of Heaven into a burning lake of sulfur and putrid ash for rebelling against my father’s will. Inviting you here was a mistake.” Chloe took a step back, fear flaring in her mind as his voice rose. “I should’ve stayed away. I ruin _everything_ that I touch! Maze set up an entire scheme to ruin my life using Dan! I almost lost Linda and Ella their jobs and home. Look what I did to you! I am _poison_ to everyone that dares to care about me!” He slammed his fists down into the bar, shattering it, and Chloe jumped back away. Now he stood frozen, shoulders heaving blood slowly trickling down his fingers. His eyes were glued there, watching as it dripped and rapped against what was left of the surface in front of him.

The anger in voice was replaced with wonder when he said: “I’m bleeding.”

Her voice caught on a sob. “Of course you’re bleeding.” She slowly approached him again, this time making contact.

Lucifer flinched as her hands settled on his wrist, but as she tugged him away, he went without a word. Chloe settled him onto his Italian leather couch and went in search of a first-aid kit. When she returned, she found him exactly as she had left him. Sitting demurely in front him, she began to gently clean his hands, picking glass from his shredded skin with a pair of tweezers. The silence that had descended upon them now was almost comfortable. When they were clean, she wrapped them, and couldn’t bring herself to let them go. She cradled his hands in hers. “Pity for the devil, detective?” His voice was barely a whisper. “I’m afraid your pity is too late. You must know that I am made of death, from head to foot, and it is a corpse who loves you and adores you and will never, never leave you!” And then he was changing. The hands in hers became ribboned with rubbery scars, knotting and overlapping each other over red, red skin. They were hot to the touch, but not uncomfortable, though they looked painful. The rest of his body reflected them, his soft black hair fading into a mutilated scalp, torso becoming gaunt, the skin stretching tightly over the knobs of his spine. His eyes were aglow with fire, but this time the fireplace below her was cold and unlit. She quickly diverted her eyes back to his hands

“Are you prepared for an eternity of _this_ before your eyes, detective? Can you even dare to look, or bear to think of me? You want to see? See! Feast your eyes, glut your soul on my cursed ugliness! This loathsome gargoyle, who burned in Hell.” He tugs his hands away from her and looks away. Chloe stares at his ruined abdomen. “Go, Chloe. Forget me; forget _all_ of this. Go back home to Trixie and Dan. Continue your work as a detective.” He swallowed heavily. “Leave me alone, forget what you’ve seen. There’s no place for me here on Earth any longer. If you’re ever asked, deceive what you know of the angel in Hell.” He stood to walk away from her, but she caught his wrist, avoiding the injuries on his hands.

Lucifer made no move to pull away from her.

Chloe moved to stand in front of him, but this time it was his gaze that averted hers, eyes skittering away.

Waiting to be rejected.

Her hands rose to his cheeks and turned him to face her, looking directly into the suns dancing in his irises. “This face… holds no horror for me now, Lucifer. You aren’t some kind of pitiful creature of darkness. You’re my partner. My best friend. I don’t know what kind of life you’ve known, being alone for so long. But it’s over now. I’m here.”

“You can’t mean that.”

“Lucifer, I have never let my guard down with anyone the way that I do with you. You make me want to pull my hair out, but you all make me a better detective. A better person, and I… I love you too, Lucifer.”

And then they were kissing, a soft press of lips that took them both off guard. Neither knew who had moved forward, or who was the first to pull away. For a moment they simply gaped at each other. Until finally, they moved together as one. Lucifer’s hands came to rest on Chloe’s hips while Chloe’s wrapped around to cradle his head. Time stood still. Everything that had unraveled in the last few weeks clicked back into place, and they were breathless in the relief of it. Beneath her fingers, charred skin became soft hair. Lucifer moaned as she threaded them there, stroking the skin underneath.

And as they stood there, reveling in the embrace of one another, the music of night of the city below them barreled on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all she wrote! I had so much fun writing this story, and I hope you all enjoyed it too. The parallels really are incredible, and if you enjoyed this, I encourage you to see/watch the musical and read the original Phantom of the Opera novel by Gaston Leroux.
> 
> Eagle-eyed readers might have noticed that I actually included two quotes from the book!:  
> "Look!You want to see? See! Feast your eyes, glut your soul on my cursed ugliness!" and "You must know that I am made of death, from head to foot, and it is a corpse who loves you and adores you and will never, never leave you!”
> 
> I must say: being that (SPOILER) all versions of Phantom and Lucifer have decidedly sad endings, I was thiiiis close to following the trend. But I'm a sucker for a happy ending and just couldn't do it. Also, it's always bothered me that Eve has kissed hi devil face and Chloe hasn't, so I fixed that! ANYWAYS, I'm so happy to have brought some extra joy and entertainment to my readers in the midst of COVID and waiting for season five. Thank you for all the kudos, comments, and bookmarks. I have an idea for another Deckerstar fic I'd like to write, so hopefully I'll see you all again soon!

**Author's Note:**

> I anticipate the following chapters will be a lot longer, this is just the prologue; I'll also be adding tags as I go. I don't really have an upload schedule, but I have already started writing the following chapter and have a working outline for this week, so I'm hoping for maybe 1/2 times a week. That is, of course, if people are liking this. If not I'll probably make it for myself anyways lol. Comments/critiques welcomed and appreciated! See you next time!


End file.
